Crimson And Darkness
by ASlaveToWords
Summary: A new addition to the TURKS has Reno's mind reeling. This woman goes beyond everything he's learned & stood for & he can't help but feel slightly attracted to her. Again & again she proves to them she's just as good as any man they can pit her against.
1. Meet The Handlers

**IMPORTANT!**

**A/N:** This is a Reno story with an OC. You've been warned. Now, before I start, this story isn't done in chapter form.. persay. They're kinda more like a bunch of oneshots involving Reno and my OC (Tilar). They're in order and whatever, but I'm just saying, there are kinda big gaps in time and w/e. OK so, it's kinda hard to explain, but you'll understand when you read it. I really like this story and I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully you'll like it as much as I do. As always, please let me know what you think, reviews are great motivation!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters from it who I've in-situated into my story. I do however own, Tilar, TJ and any other characters I may specify. Having that straightened out, please enjoy.

* * *

It's funny how fast your body works when you're in danger. Tilar Handler discovered this while she was riding for her life against three of the most ruthless brutes she'd ever met - courtesy of her favorite enemy.

"Tilar, they're gaining on us!" Her little brother TJ yelled from his bike next to hers. "I don't think we can out run them much longer!"

Right after he'd spoken, Tilar heard an unruly sound erupt from TJ's bike, informing them that it had reached it's maximum potential and could give no more. Tilar looked at her brother's panicked face and made up her mind. Enough was enough.

She whipped her bike around and stopped in the direction of the oncoming riders.

"TJ, keep riding!" She screamed over her shoulder.

But of course, little brothers never listen. TJ rode a little ways past his sister and whipped his bike around too, stopping and facing the other way like she was.

Tilar sighed. Oh well, she'd deal with him later; right now she had more of a reason not to let the idiot thugs past her. She reached inside her jacket and pulled out a hand full of shuriken.

"Keep on coming you bastards." She hissed under her breath.

She watched as the three huge bikers hurtled towards her and eyed them intently. When they were mere meters away, she whipped three shuriken at the two riders on the left and right, piercing their skulls, hearts and stomach and killing them instantly. Their bikes swayed to the sides and each crashed with flames and loud explosions into nearby rocks and trees.

Now there was only one left.

Tilar glared at the still oncoming mercenary, who was grinning maliciously at her. She revved her engine and took off, heading straight for the leader of the gang. Both were caught in a dangerous game of chicken, and neither wavered for a second.

Finally, the two were within feet of each other and the man opposite Tilar pulled out a gun. Tilar smirked and pulled her bike up onto its back wheel. As it was meant to, it hit a rock and was sent soaring into the air, right over her opponent. He stopped his bike abruptly in shock, as the stunning young woman and her bike were suspended high into the air.

As she sailed over his head, Tilar pulled a sword from it's place on her back, and sliced it through the air forcefully. When she landed on the ground again, she whipped her bike around and looked back at the man - just in time to see his head slide slickly from his shoulders, and land on the ground with a sickening crack. She starred down at his frozen expression, displaying now forever a look of pure shock and fear.

Tilar snorted indignantly as the mans body slid from his bike and joined his head on the ground. She reached out her sword and cleaned it off on his jacket, then replaced it in it's sheath.

Without another look or thought for the man at her feet, Tilar revved her bike and sped off towards her now smirking little brother.

When she reached TJ, Tilar stopped beside him and turned off her bike.

"Nice." He said simply, grinning from ear to ear. Tilar exhaled heavily.

"When will you ever do as you're told?" She growled angrily.

TJ smirked.

"When you finally learn that I'm not a little kid anymore and can defend myself." He countered smugly.

Tilar starred at him for a minute, then snorted again and looked forward.

"You're too damn cocky for your own good." She said irritably. TJ laughed, then started his bike again.

"So, where are we going?"

Tilar started her bike too.

"That weird guy from the last town said there's a place a couple miles from here called Midgar. If he was telling the truth, then that's where we're headed."

Tilar's voice was full of doubt as she spoke.

TJ nodded and looked forward.

"OK. Well, I think it's time for a little rematch. Last one there treats to lunch."

Tilar smirked.

"Oh you're on little man!"

TJ grinned and revved his engine.

"1...2-Go!"

TJ sped off, leaving Tilar in his dust. She coughed a few times, waving the dust from her face, then laughed.

"Cheater!" She yelled after the boy. Then she took off after him.

Tilar and TJ drove for a while and in no time, they saw the beginnings of a few huge buildings growing against the horizon. Soon, they came upon the city, and a huge sign introduced them to the town called Midgar.

"Well I'll be damned..." She mumbled under her breath. "That old fool was telling the truth..."

"Hey Ty, looks like that old, weird guy was right after all!" TJ yelled to his sister.

"Yea, guess so." She replied, just loud enough for him to hear."

The two drove into the city and looked around on all sides as they did.

"Hey, there's some kind of inn or bar or something up ahead!" TJ shouted to his sister. "It's called Seventh Heaven. That's the finish line! Last one there treats lunch!"

Tilar smirked as TJ roared past her. She waited until he was ahead a little ways, then put her bike to full throttle and whirled past him in seconds. She reached their destination long before TJ and smirked at him as he stopped beside her. She was leaning against her bike with crossed arms and shook her head at him with a smile.

"When will you ever learn?"

TJ pouted as he got off his bike and walked over to her.

"Damn! I thought for sure I had you this time!" He said disappointedly.

Tilar laughed and ruffled his hair.

"One day. But for now, how about I treat breakfast anyway, just to show I'm not a sore winner."

TJ grinned and nodded.

"OK!... I mean, if you insist."

Tilar laughed, then gave her brother a little push before they entered the building.

The two siblings opened the door to what appeared to be an empty bar. It wasn't really surprising because it was only around noon. Not to many people drank in the middle of the day.

The two walked in and looked around, looking for some sign of life within the place. Tilar was just about to call out for someone when she noticed two people behind the bar counter with their lips locked.

Tilar raised an eyebrow, then took her brother by the shoulders and turned him around.

"Lets go kiddo, looks like these people are too busy for costumers."

At the sound of her voice, the two people pulled apart and blushed furiously when they saw the siblings.

"Oh God! I'm really sorry! I didn't know anyone was here!"

Tilar turned back around to face the dark haired girl who had spoken to her.

"So I noticed." Tilar stated bluntly.

The girl walked out from behind the bar and held out her hand to Tilar.

"Hello, I'm Tifa. That's Cloud over there." The girl pointed to the blonde boy she had been kissing and blushed again when she did. There was also a slight pink tinge to his cheeks as well as he simply nodded to Tilar and TJ.

Tilar looked from Tifa to Cloud, then glanced at the girl's extended hand. After a second, she looked back up.

"Tilar." She stated simply, not taking Tifa's hand. TJ looked to his sister and rolled his eyes, then he shook Tifa's hand before she pulled it away.

"I'm TJ! Sorry if my sis seems kinda skeptical. She's like that with all new people."

"Thank you for that TJ." Tilar mumbled in annoyance.

Tifa smiled.

"It alright, I understand. I can assure you though that you have nothing to worry about here. We're all friendly. Anyway, can I get you guys anything?"

"Do you have french toast?" TJ asked enthusiastically. A small smile involuntarily escaped Tilar's lips, but she quickly replaced her serious expression. Tifa however wasn't quite able to contain her smile. She laughed and nodded.

"Of course! Who doesn't love french toast?"

TJ grinned.

"Awesome!" He shouted, punching the air triumphantly.

Tifa laughed again, then turned to Tilar with a warm smile.

"What about you?"

"Doesn't matter." Tilar replied.

"Hm.. OK then, french toast coming up! You guys can sit down while you wait if you like. Make yourselves comfortable!"

TJ nodded and ran up to sit at a stood at the bar. Tilar sighed and shook her head as she followed him.

Everything was quiet as Tilar and TJ sat at the bar awaiting their meal. Tilar was well-aware of Cloud starring at them, and it wasn't pleasing her the least. Eventually she had enough and looked over at Cloud with a deadly glare.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes or are you just stupid?" She asked irritably. TJ rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. She doesn't like people starring at her."

Tilar gave her little brother a glare and he stuck out his tongue playfully at her. Cloud on the other hand just smirked. Instead of addressing Tilar's previous comment however, he asked the two a question.

"So where are you guys from?" He asked coolly.

"What makes you think it's your business?" Tilar asked coldly, the same time TJ spoke.

"Gereria!"

Tilar rolled her eyes and gave her brother a hard push, nearly knocking him from his chair. He steadied himself and ignored it though before continuing to answer Cloud's question as if she hadn't pushed him.

"Well, that's where we were from originally." He said perkily. "But now we kinda move around all the time... not like we have a choice... it's kinda dangerous for us to stay in one place. See, our parents died when we were both really young and-"

"TJ, that's enough!" Tilar snapped loudly, cutting him off sharply. TJ turned to her, and seeing the expression on her face, he looked down.

"Sorry sis.." He said quietly. Tilar sighed and looked down as well, a deep frown forming on her face.

Cloud frowned and shifted a little, then looked down as well. There was an awkward silence for a while until Tifa finally re-entered the room with two huge plates stacked with french toast. When she saw everybody's expressions, a confused expression over-came hers.

"Wow, what happened in here?" She asked teasingly. "You could cut the tension with a knife!"

When no one moved or spoke, she turned to Cloud with a stern look.

"What did you say now?" She hissed under her breath.

"Nothing." Cloud replied honestly.

Tifa sighed, then put the smile back on her face and placed a plate of french toast in front of each sibling.

"Well, who's hungry?"

At this, TJ's face brightened again.

"Me!" He said enthusiastically. Tifa laughed and gave him a fork and he immediately dug into the food. She smiled, then placed a fork in front of Tilar.

"You must be hungry." She said quietly. "I noticed your bikes outside, and it's a nice ways from any other city... a little food wouldn't hurt after a long journey."

Tilar didn't move for a second, but after a minute, she looked up at Tifa.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

Tifa beamed, feeling like she was making headway.

"No problem! If there's anything else I can do, just ask!"

Tilar nodded, then began to eat as well.

The four talked about all kinds of random things as Tilar and TJ ate, and Cloud and Tifa tried to find out as much about their guests as they could without prying too much. They didn't really find out a whole lot, but they found out enough to know that the two were definitely not people they'd have to worry about, and that Tilar wasn't really that bad once she opened up a little.

After a few hours, long after the siblings had finished their meal, Tilar looked at her watch and frowned.

"Damn... we've stayed too long.. we should have been long gone before dark..."

Tilar looked out the window and her frown deepened at the darkness outside. She then turned back to Tifa and Cloud.

"Do either of you know for a hotel or something close by?"

"Well, yes, but we have a couple spare bedrooms if you'd like to stay here. You're more than welcome."

Tilar looked out the window again and sighed.

"Normally, I'd say no... but I don't really have much choice."

She turned back to Tifa.

"I would appreciate that very much, and we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"Oh it's alright, you don't have to."

"No, it's not alright. We can't stay here long. But thank you anyway."

Tilar got up and walked outside with TJ hot on her heels. When they came back in, they were each carrying a rather large bag but nothing else. Tifa smiled at them.

"I'll show you guys to your rooms."

Tifa lead Tilar and TJ upstairs and to separate rooms. Tilar was first, and TJ was right next to hers.

"You know, Marlene's room is right across from yours." Tifa told the boy. "She's about your age I think. She was visiting with a friend today, but she'll be back tomorrow, so you should get to meet her then."

TJ's face lit up.

"Really? She's my age? How old is she?"

"Thirteen."

TJ's smile widened.

"So am I! I'm thirteen too!... Wow! I never meet people my age! I can't wait!"

With that said, TJ turned and went into his room, shutting and locking the door behind him. A habit he had picked up long ago under the rules of his sister.

Tifa smiled sympathetically and shook her head. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the two. From what her had Cloud had learned, it seemed things had never been easy for the two. It was no wonder Tilar was so cautious and skeptical about everyone, she doubted she would be any different in the same situation.

With one last sigh, Tiffa turned and walked away from the doors. Maybe she could convince them in the morning to stay a little longer. She figured both siblings needed a few friends, a little comfort and a bit of safety and stability for a while, and staying with her was exactly how they'd get that.

* * *

Tilar awoke the next day to a sunbeam in the eye. She groaned and sat up, stretching hard before looking at her surroundings.

"Hm.. guess that bed was more comfortable than I thought." Tilar said to herself.

She was usually up before dawn, but looking at her watch, she discovered she had slept in until eight thirty.

Tilar got up and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt over the tank-top she'd slept in, then pulled on her boots and headed towards her door and left the room.

Tilar looked at the room TJ was staying in and found that the door was open and the room empty. She sighed and headed downstairs.

When she entered the bar, she saw TJ sitting at the counter eating french toast again. However, Cloud and Tifa weren't his only company.

Tilar walked up to the bar and sat next to her brother. When he noticed her there, he turned to her and grinned big.

"Morning Ty! I met someone! This is Marlene, she lives here too!"

Tilar nodded at the little girl.

"Hello." She said politely.

"Hello!" Marlene said enthusiastically. She then extended her hand to Tilar. Tilar's expression softened and she shook the girl's hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too! TJ old me all about you! You seem really cool! Maybe you could stay and help Cloud and Tifa around here, I'm sure they could use the help!"

Tilar frowned a little.

"I don't think so. We have to get going today.

"When this was said, TJ turned to his sister with a frantic look.

"Aw c'mon Tilar! We never stay anywhere for more than two days! Out of all the places we've been, I can't remember one single person!... Well, except that weird old guy from the last town.. but other that him that's it! And I've never met anyone my age! And besides, Cloud and Tifa are really great fighters! Cloud's already beaten Sephiroth twice! We'd be safe here!"

TJ's eyes were pleading, and Tilar forgot all about asking who Sephiroth was as she looked into his eyes. But he wasn't finished.

"If we stay here, we won't be alone anymore! We wouldn't have to fight alone and for once in our lives, we'd be safe and have a nice place to stay! There's nothing bad about it at all! C'mon Ty, can't we stay? At least for a little while?"

Tilar starred at her brother for a few seconds, then shook her head.

"No. It'll be too much trouble for Tifa and Cloud. That isn't fair for them T... we're leaving today like I said last night."

TJ looked absolutely heartbroken, and Tilar felt her heart break at the sight.

"I'm sorry T.."

TJ's face turned to anger.

"No you're not! You always say that, but if you were really sorry, you'd listen to me for once! You just don't like it because it's my idea not yours, and that for once, I might actually be right! You're scared because for once in our lives, we might actually have a home to go to!"

"TJ! You know that's not true!" Tilar said painfully, a deeply wounded expression on her face. "That's not the reason... I just-"

"No! That_ is _the reason! You're just scared!"

With that, TJ stood up and moved onto the farthest chair away from his sister, not looking at her and wearing an expression so intense, you would swear he'd aged a few years.

Tilar starred at her brother for a second, then looked down. She stood up and walked to the back of the bar. There, she sat at a table alone and starred at the wall as she attempted to sort through her tangled mess of thoughts.

After a while, Tilar was so deep in thought that she was completely unaware of her surroundings. So, needless to say, she was quite startled when she was brought to again by someone's voice.

In seconds, she had a blade to the intruder's throat, but quickly lowered it when she realized who it was.

"Sorry.." She mumbled, putting the blade in her boot again. "You... startled me..."

Tifa laughed and sighed with relief.

"It's OK, I shouldn't have disturbed you... but um, now that I did, may I sit down?"

Tilar lifted a brow.

"It's your bar." She replied bluntly.

"Yes, but this is you personal space." Tifa replied.

Tilar starred at the girl for a second, then nodded. Tifa smiled and sat down.

All was quiet for a few seconds, but finally, someone broke the silence.

"You know, it really would be no trouble if you stayed here." Tifa said gently. "Of course, the choice is yours and I don't mean to intrude or make it harder for you, but I want you to know that anyway..."

She turned then to look at TJ and Marlene who were laughing and talking again.

"It seems they've really hit it off.." She said absently. Smiling, she turned back to Tilar.

"Sorry, like I said, I don't mean to make things harder for you... but if it makes you feel a little better, TJ was right, I can promise that you'd be safe here, and it really is no trouble for us."

Tifa then looked down.

"Please don't get angry, cause I don't mean to upset you... but it's not good for a child to always be on the move... surely you've learned that from traveling so much yourself.. I understand you've both been traveling since you were very young?"

Tilar looked down as well and sighed.

"I know, but... you have no idea how hard it is.. that boy is all I have, and to loose him would be the end of me. He's the only thing in this world that means anything to me and I'd give my own life if that's what it took save his..."

Saying this surprised Tilar. She was never a one to tell anything personal to anyone - for multiple reasons - but she couldn't help it, it just spilled out.

"I just want him to be safe... and keeping us moving is the only way I know how to do that. My skills are good, but they're not nearly enough if-"

Tilar stopped there and said no more. Involuntarily, tears were coming to her eyes and she was trying desperately to hold them back. With practiced ease, she took a few deep breaths and forced them away - though just barely. But what Tifa did next however shocked her speechless.

Tilar felt a pair of arms wrap around her and hug her tight.

"I can't say I know how you feel or what you're going through... but I can promise you that no matter what, and no matter what you decide to do, you will always have friends here and a place to turn to."

Tilar closed her proud eyes to hold back the assault of tears. Not once in her life had anyone said something like that to her or had been so kind to her as the woman in front of her was.

"Thank you..." She replied softly, her breath hitching slightly as she reached up an arm to gently return the embrace.

After a long time, Tilar finally pulled herself together and pulled away from Tifa. Tifa smiled at her.

"So?"

Tilar looked away.

"You're right, it's not good for him. It was never any good for me, and it's not helping him either."

Tilar looked down and starred at her hands.

"Everything we have ever wanted is here... and it's obvious we would have protection here if we needed it..." She said, almost to herself. She was silent for a while, but after a few minutes, she finally sighed and spoke again.

"Are you absolutely sure we would be no trouble to you at all?"

Tifa smiled wide.

"Not at all!"

Tilar took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Then I suppose it would be alright if we stayed.. just for a little while. But the minute our being here begins to create a problem - for us or you - we're gone."

Tifa's smile widened.

"Alright. And if it turns out we can't give you what you need, you can kill me."

This got the slightest smile from Tilar.

"Deal." She said jokingly.

Tilar was then nearly knocked off her chair and barely had time to steady herself. She looked down and saw TJ with his arms wrapped tightly around her, his face buried in her shoulder.

"Thank you Ty! You're the best!"

Tilar finally smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother, hugging him tightly.

"Yea well, can't have you mad at me can I?"

TJ looked up and grinned, then leaned in again to give her another tight squeeze.

"I love you Ty.." He said softly.

Tilar closed her eyes, savouring the words. She put her head on TJ's and hugged him extra tight.

"Love you too T." She whispered softly.

A few minutes later, Tilar felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Tifa smiling wide at her, and also noted that Cloud owned the heavy hand.

"Welcome to the family." He said with a small smile.

Tilar let go of TJ and they both smiled, TJ a whole lot wider of course.

"That's the best thing I've ever heard!" TJ declared happily. Then he turned to his sister.

"D'ya hear that Ty! We have family again!"

Tilar couldn't help but smile.

"Yea.. I heard."


	2. Reno To The Rescue!

**A/N:** The first few installments of this story are in 'Chapter form', but from there on, the time between gets a little distant, as I said in CH1. Having said that, hope you enjoy. As always, PLEEEEASE R&R! I'd really appreciate it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FF or any of the characters. I do however own Tilar, TJ and any other characters I may specify.

* * *

Tilar sat and listened to the conversation around her, occasionally giving an input every so often. The group had already had their breakfast, gotten dressed and cleaned up, and were now just sitting around talking again.

"So Tilar, what kind of weapon do you use?" Tifa asked curiously.

"I don't one particular weapon, I use a variety." Tilar replied simply.

"Tilar can use anything handed to her." TJ said casually.

"That's not true TJ." Tilar argued. TJ gave his sister a defiant look.

"OK, name one thing you can't handle."

Tilar thought for a minute.

"I can't use a crossbow. Or nunchucks."

"Yea, but those are wimpy weapons!"

Tilar frowned at her brother.

"TJ I told you a million times; any weapon is deadly in the right hands. No weapon is wimpy."

"Except those two."

Tilar sighed and shook her head, turning then away from her little brother.

"What about you?" She asked Tifa, deciding it was useless to argue with her little brother.

"Mostly hand-to-hand combat." Tifa replied. The faintest shadow of a smile played across Tilar's lips.

"Really?" She stated more then asked. "Maybe we can spar sometime."

Tifa smiled.

"Sure, I'd like that."

It was just then, watching Tifa drying a bar glass, that Tilar thought of something.

"What kind of jobs are around here?"

Tifa layed down the glass and thought for a minute.

"Hmmm. Well, I guess that depends on what you like to do. Or what you're good at."

Tilar nodded and considered this.

Now on the topic of jobs, Tilar listened to the ideas and suggestions Tifa and Cloud gave, as both gave her different ones for her to consider.

It was when Tifa was talking about working with her at the bar that a familiar sound reached her ears.

Tilar focused and let Tifa's voice drift away from her as she concentrated on the new sound. It was getting louder and louder with each passing second. She had long ago trained all her senses in the the necessity of helping her and her brother live - a skill that had saved them time and time again. She honed in on the sound and knew that it would reach them in perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, scolding herself for being distracted and not hearing it sooner. Tilar focused back on the people around her and saw that they were all looking at her.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked. Used to the concentrated expression, TJ had a different question.

"What did you hear?" He asked, a slight hint of fear in his voice.

"A helicopter." She said simply. Seeing TJ's face pale slightly, she gave him a reassuring smile. "But it's not a blue bird."

The others looked confused but TJ seemed to understand and relaxed. 'Blue Bird' was their own private dub for the monstrous choppers that her and her sibling often found themselves running and hiding from; choppers with heavily loaded weapons and deadly, highly-trained assassins more then enough to challenge Tiar's skill level.

"Did you say you heard a helicopter?" Tifa asked. Tilar nodded and Cloud snorted.

"It's them." He replied bluntly, not sounding the least bit pleased but not overly worried or scared either. "Those morons! Why can't they just take no for an answer?"

The group stopped and listened but neither could hear what Tilar could. After staying silent for a few minutes, however, sure enough; the loud humming of beating chopper blades was heard in the distance. Tilar got up from her chair and walked over to a window at the front of the bar. In the distance she could see a helicopter approaching. It was obviously heading their way, but it gave her some relief that she didn't recognise it. Still, despite the fact, she left her spot by the window nonetheless, went upstairs and returned a few moments later with a long, slim, sword. Tilar sat calmly on her chair again with the weapon resting across her knees and hands resting upon it, this time facing the door with closed eyes.

Cloud looked at her, then walked to the window as well. When he saw the chopper nearly right at their doorstep, he cursed under his breath and sighed irritably before walking back to his spot and leaning against the wall with a disgusted look.

"If I ever saw them again it would be too soon." He muttered irritably.

Tilar looked at him with confusion, then looked back at the door. She was just about to ask who he was talking about when she heard the unmistakable sound of the helicopter setting down outside, obviously fairly close by, before the sounds ceased all together. Tensing slightly, she starred at the door and awaited the person about to walk through.

Silence filled the room as every being anticipated the already-announced arrival of their soon-to-be 'guests'. Minutes later, the door opened and two tall men walked inside, their silhouettes heavily lining the doorway. It wasn't until the two stepped completely inside the bar, closing the door and barring out the sun behind them, that their profiles were finally distinguishable.

Tilar raised an eyebrow at the two. Neither of them looked very intimidating, though she guessed that the one on the left was supposed to, considering his appearance. He was bald and dark and stood straight with much bulk and broad shoulders. He was also wearing sunglasses so you couldn't see his eyes and the expression that was visible was serious. However, although he didn't seem all that intimidating, Tilar could tell he wasn't someone who's path you'd wanna get on the bad side of.

Both men were wearing suits, but unlike the first, the second was much more slack with his attire. His shirt was hanging out and wasn't buttoned all the way, he wasn't wearing a tie, and his jacket was carelessly left open. He was very slim and his hair was as red, wild and untamed as flame. His skin was fair and pale and his eyes were the most beautiful blue-green Tilar had ever seen. But on his lips was a smirk so cocky it made her wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Hey Cloud ol' buddy!" The redhead greeted enthusiastically. "It's been a long time!"

Cloud snorted.

"Not long enough." He replied moodily.

"Aw come on! You can't say you didn't miss me at least a little bit."

Tilar raised her eyebrows at the bold redhead, then looked at Cloud to find that he looked none to impressed. She then looked back at the men in the door way.

"What do you want Reno?" Cloud asked with annoyance.

"Just came to ask a little favor from the boss man." The redhead replied casually.

"Not interested." Cloud instantly replied bluntly.

Reno feigned a hurt look.

"Aw gee. That hurts buddy. And here I thought we were friends."

Again Cloud snored indignantly. Reno shrugged.

"Fine then." He replied with an over-dramatic sigh. "I guess I'll just tell him that you're interested in our little discovery."

"Good." Cloud answered bluntly.

Looking undeterred, Reno then turned and began walking back towards the door.

"Just thought you'd like to know about the possibility of bringing Sephiroth back." He casually spoke without turning, his hand on the doorknob know.

As the redhead knew it would, that got Cloud's attention.

"Wait!"

Reno stopped and turned back to the blonde with an innocent smile.

"Yeees?" He drawled slowly, obviously enjoying the teasing far too much. Cloud starred at him for a minute, eyes narrowed.

"Are you telling the truth?"

Again, Reno pretended to be hurt.

"Of coursed I am, Cloud. Why on earth would I ever lie to you?"

Cloud glared at him.

"What did you discover?"

Finally Reno's trademark smirk returned and he straightened confidently, a long-fingered hand coming to rest on a slender hip.

"Can't tell ya!" He replied mischeviously, a devilish twinkle in his eye. "It's confidential."

At that point, Reno's companion finally spoke up for the first time, his voice rather deep and serious unlike Reno's calm, smooth and playful one.

"If you wanna know more about it, come to Shinra tonight after sunset. Mr. President will tell you everything then."

The two men then turned as one and once again headed for the door.

Having sat back and listened long enough, Tilar couldn't keep her questions and curiosity back any longer.

"What's Shinra?" She suddenly spoke aloud, the question directed at anyone who would answer. "Who's the president and what's he president of?... And who the Hell is Sephiroth?"

Reno and the other guy turned back around once more and turned to face the girl they hadn't really noticed until now. Reno smiled when he saw her, then walked up and stopped in front of her, causing her eyes to narrow slightly as her hand wrapped around the sword's hilt.

"Shinra is the most powerful, successful and infamous company in the world." Reno replied cooly. "Rufus Shinra is it's president. Sephiroth is one mean bastard. And I'm Reno."

Reno stuck out his hand, but paused and gestured over his shoulder to the other man when the dark suit cleared his throat.

"Oh yea, and that's my partner, Rude."

Rude simply nodded.

Just like she had with Tifa, Tilar ignored the redhead's hand and merely kept his gaze.

"Tilar." She stated simply.

Blinking at her for a moment, Reno withdrew his hand and opened his mouth again, but he was cut off before he could say anything.

"And I'm TJ." TJ added. Reno looked at him, then back at Tilar and smiled. He looked back at TJ again, and once more extended his hand, this time to the much smaller sibling.

"Reno." He replied simply. "Nice ta meet'cha TJ."

Ignoring his sister's stern looks, TJ shook Reno's outstretched hand.

"Are you the pilot of the helicopter?" He asked rather excitedly. Reno grinned.

"Why, yes I am." He said quite cockily. "Best damn pilot this worlds ever seen, in fact."

Tilar raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

"Yea well, that's only because Ty doesn't fly. TJ replied casually. " She's the best at everything! You'd never be able to beat her in a bike race! She's awesome!"

Tilar rolled her eyes and Reno smiled again.

"Heh. Cute kid." He then turned back to Tilar.

"So, ever in need of an assignation, give us a call." He said playfully.

Tilar starred at him.

"I'll remember that." She said humorlessly.

Reno starred at Tilar for a minute, unable to decide how to take the woman. Eventually however he replaced his smirk on his face and turned back to the others. With a slight wave, he headed off back towards the door, pausing to look over his shoulder when he got there.

"See ya tonight, Cloud! Just after sunset, don't be late." The redhead gave the blonde a playful wink before finally opening the door and exiting the bar, Rude wordlessly hot on his heels.

Tilar starred at the shut door for a moment, but after a while, she made a face.

"What a cocky bastard." She said bluntly. "Is it possible to be any more arrogant?"

This made Tifa laugh, and surprisingly, Cloud smile.

"Yea well, that's Reno for ya." Tifa said with a smile.

Tilar shook her head lightly and stood up, taking the sword in one hand, her fingers low on the hilt.

"Is there somewhere around here where I can train?" She asked simply. Tifa nodded and placed the glass and cloth in her hand down before moving around to the front of the bar.

"Yea, follow me."

"Can I come?" TJ asked enthusiastically.

"Sure." Tilar replied with a small nod. "Go grab your stuff."

"Tilar?"

Tilar paused and turned to look at Marlene, giving her a quizzical look.

"Can I watch you guys practice?"

Tilar starred for a moment before the tiniest whisper of a smile graced her lips and she gave a small nod.

"Sure. I just need to go get my stuff."

"OK!" Marlene said excitedly.

TJ ran off and Tilar went to get her things. When they both returned to Tifa, she showed them were to go.

* * *

It was near sunset and Tilar and TJ's sparring practice hadn't eased up one bit. As always, it was all or nothing and the two siblings looked just as intense and focused as ever as they starred each other down.

"Again." Tilar said bluntly. "Not so obvious this time."

Tilar watched her little brothers movements and knew his intent before he even budged. She effortlessly blocked him as he rushed her yet again, sword raised high above him, and grabbed his arm, effortlessly flipping him over with much force to plant his back on the ground with a loud thud. TJ looked incredibly frustrated but Tilar knew it was with himself rather then her. Her patience was great and her heart went out to him, encouraging him once again by assuring him he'd match and perhaps surpass her one day. As good as TJ himself was, he could never quite manage to beat his sister. But the young boy didn't let it get to him; one day beating Tilar was his goal and motivation and despite his contempt towards not being able to match her, the little fighter still respected his sister immensely and loved her very much.

Just as Tilar reached out a hand to pull her brother to his feet for the hundredth time that day, she felt a presence close by, telling her they were no longer alone. Releasing TJ's hand once she was on his feet, she turned on a dime and hurled her sword at the opposite wall where it stuck fast. Standing there smiling was an impressed looking Tifa and an approving looking Cloud. The sword was right between both their heads, inches from their faces.

"Wow! Impressive Tilar!" Tifa said with a wide smile, applauding slightly. "Though I'm glad you weren't aiming to kill!"

"TJ was right!" Marlene suddenly said excitedly, approaching the pair from the sidelines. "She can handle any weapon!"

"No. I can't." Tilar argued with blunt annoyance.

TJ walked up to her and looked at the sword in the wall.

"If you keep that up, you're going to end up hurting one of our friends." He muttered to her under his breath, sounding a little angry. He then followed Marlene up to Cloud and Tifa.

Tilar snorted and frowned.

"Yea well, I never had that problem before." She mumbled to herself. She then walked up to everyone else.

"I love your skills, but you need to learn not to be so paranoid around us." Tifa said with a laugh.

"Old habits die hard." Tilar replied. Tifa smiled.

"Time heals everything." She countered. Tilar frowned a little and turned to look out a nearby window and the sun low in the sky. Violent memories flashed across her minds eye and she had to resist a flinch as she fought to keep the familiar emotions at bay.

_"Not everything."_ She thought sadly.

Obviously not hearing her silent words, Tifa continued.

"We came to ask if you'd like to go with Cloud when he went to visit Shinra. He could show you around on the way and hopefully get you familiar with a few things."

Tilar considered this for a moment but eventually shook her head.

"I'd like to, but I haven't had a chance to change our bikes yet. If we're going to stay here, I'd like to give them new looks so no one recognizes them. They're unmistakeably distinguishable and I don't want them attracting unwanted attention and leading unwanted visitors to your door."

"You could ride with me." Cloud offered. Tilar looked at him and again considered the suggestion. After a few moments, she finally nodded.

"Alright. I'd like that."

Cloud nodded and looked out at the setting sun as well.

"We'd better get going." He said simply

"Can I come?" TJ asked. Tilar turned to him.

"TJ, Cloud can't fit the both of us on his bike. Maybe next time."

"But I can ride my own bike." He replied hopefully. Tilar's face turned serious.

"No TJ. Remember what I just said; our bikes are too familiar and we might end up catching the eye of people we don't want to see us. Stay here until I get back. I promise, we'll fix them first thing in the morning."

TJ looked a little crestfallen.

"OK." He said in disappointment.

Tilar's expression softened and she ruffled his hair.

"We'll be back soon, OK?"

TJ nodded and Tilar gave him a smile before bidding farewell to him and the girls and following Cloud.

* * *

Tilar got onto Cloud's bike behind him and they headed out.

"So how far is this Shinra place?" Tilar asked over the roar of the bike.

"Not that far." Cloud replied. "A few miles...About half an hour or so."

Tilar nodded but realizing he couldn't see her she responded with an 'OK'.

The two had been riding for a while when Tilar heard the unmistakable sound of another bike behind them. She turned around and felt her heart drop into her stomach when she saw her brother's bike coming up behind them. It was obvious he'd tried to cover up the fact that it was his bike, because the normally black bike was now smeared with red paint. Still, the green flames sprouting from the back of it could belong to no other bike besides hers, both being one of a kind with their unique blend of rare materia and mako augmentations.

TJ waved at his sister but before Tilar could do anything, she heard the roar of several more engines. Coming up behind TJ, and from both sides, were five other bikes, bikes Tilar recognized all to well. Soon, they were circling TJ and forced him to stop.

"Damn it!" Tilar cursed loudly. Looking back at Cloud whom was looking over his shoulder, she could see he saw the bikes too, but didn't recognise either of them. Not even TJ's.

"Cloud! Please turn around!" She pleaded desperately. Cloud turned back to her.

"Why?" He asked.

"Cause that's TJ back there! I need to go back to him! Those men are mercenaries who work for the man after us!"

Cloud looked at her, then whipped his bike around in a cloud of dust and debris before flooring the throttle and ripping back in the direction of the others.

"You don't have to stop." Tilar half-yelled over the racket of so many engines. "Just get me close enough! You go on and see that Shinra guy."

Cloud looked uncertain, ready to defy her.

"Are you sure?" He asked her uncertainly. Tilar nodded and gave him a confident expression.

"Yea I'm sure. I can handle these guys."

Coud frowned but nodded nonetheless.

"Alright." Cloud replied. "Get ready... and be careful Tilar."

Tilar nodded and Cloud slowed slightly as he approached the small group. When he was within a few feet of them, Tilar swung one leg over with the other, preparing to jump.

"Good luck." Cloud said simply.

"Thanks." Tilar replied, then she jumped, landing on the ground with a roll.

Jumping to her feet, Tilar pulled a pair of hand-guns from their spot at her thigh. Holding them up at the circle of bikers, who had now abandoned their bikes and were circling the poor boy on foot, she shot twice and immediately picked off two. She quickly noticed however that TJ was laying unconscious on his bike, with a trickle of blood running down his face, and instantly flew into a heated rage.

One of the remaining men turned and looked at Tilar, smirking when he saw her.

"I knew you weren't far away." He voiced in a deep, thick accent.

"Well you were right you bastard!" Tilar snarled viciously, running into the circle and shooting at the men.

They easily dodged and blocked her, so seeing that she was making no headway with the small projectiles, she replaced them at her side and pulled a pair of sinistrals from their sheathes on her back. The men were shooting at her but she blocked them easily with the slim swords and managed to get in a a fair number of hits herself. She was doing well, but not as well as usual. It seemed that, unlike usual, these three were very good fighters, though one of them she already knew and had for nearly as long as she could remember. Although her opponents, as well as her, were rather battered and beat, they were giving her a hard time and Tilar wasn't sure how much longer she could hold them off.

"Back off!" A tall and bulky man barked at the others. "Leave 'er to me!"

Tilar scowled as a man she knew all-to-well approached her with a devilish smirk, an expression that may have been attractive had he not been attempting to kill her. His brilliant blue eyes shone as he calmly approached her.

"Finally gave you some lackeys with a little skill did he?" Tilar taunted the familiar face as she made a slash at his chest, not really expecting it to make contact. As she expected, he easily avoided her attack and made a slash at her, one she narrowly avoided and blocked with her swords.

"Yea. Guess he realized you're not the weak little girl you used to be." Said the familiar face, the same one who had spoken to her upon arrival.

The man's name was Tilak; which literally meant superior. And indeed he was superior in many ways. But whereas this man's companions were brutal and ruthless, he himself was a reasonable person; provided you followed his rules and did things his way. But seeing as him and his employer were constantly trying to kill and/or capture her and her brother, that rarely happened. Still Tilak was an efficient and fair man and he always played by the books; even though his massive size and bulk often managed to convince you otherwise.

"How'd you know it was his bike?" Tilar asked Talik, her sword in his face as his massive bladed weapon guarded his throat against her.

"Come on!" The handsome man replied with a smirk, pushing Tilar off and away from him. "D'ya think we don't know those two bikes by now? Those beaute's are one of a kind, we all know that. And green flames? Tisk, tisk, love. A fool would remember somethin' like that."

Tilar's heart sunk. He'd given her exactly the answer she'd feared and she frowned deeply as his sword/axe-type weapon made another might swing at her, the young woman barely able to block it as she held her own twin weapons over her head and pushed the brute man back forcefully.

"You know, I don't really like beating up on little girls." Talik replied playfully, though there was a serious and tender twinkle in his eyes. "Why don't you just come with us and no one else will have to get hurt?"

"What, and end our fun." Tilar growled sarcastically. "That won't be very exciting now will it?"

The man smirked before pulling back from her.

"Suit yourself, love." He replied bluntly. "Don't say I didn't give ya a chance."

Talik made a fake at her side, causing her to block, but re-averted at the last moment and bent his knees to swipe her feet out from under her.

Tilar went down hard, having been completely off-guard. She seethed in pain as she felt her head hit a rock, and blinked at the sudden blurriness and dizziness that suddnely over-came her.

"Give up, sheila." Talik's voice said, sounding incredibly distant in her ears now. "It don't gotta be this way. Just give up, give 'im what he wants..."

Tilar's teeth clenched as she willed herself back onto her feet, not entirely surprised when Talik backed off ever-so-slightly to give her a little room.

"Aint ya tired a runnin'?" He said a little softly. "Just give up."

Tilar's vision blurred severely, causing her to blink violently to try and see more then colored blurs. She knew that if she passed out then it was then end for her and TJ so she forced herself to stay conscious and focused. So with her head spinning and her vision foggy, Tilar straightened on unsteady legs and glared at Talik.

"You should know better." She hissed to her opponent. Talik sighed heavily, the playful smirk and expression disappearing now.

"You stubborn brat." He said gently. "Just like your father... Kenlyn, forgive me for this, mate."

Tilar barely avoided his next attack as Talik ran at her again, the movement much less predictable then any of her spars with TJ. Though his heart wasn't in it - it never was - Talik had a job to do and he was determined to do it. And just like usual, Tilar didn't bother to let her thoughts linger on why the man always did something they both knew he didn't want to do.

With each attack she avoided or blocked, now too weak and dizzy to make any offensive moves, Tilar felt herself loosing her grip on consciousness.

_"Stay awake!_" She scolded herself._ "You can do this! You_ have_ to do this!"_

But even as she thought it, Tilar knew that she couldn't hold out much longer. With that thought, Tilar's peaches and cream face contorted in confusion when she suddenly heard a loud whirling sound in her ears.

_"Damnit!" _She cursed in her head. "_That can't be a good sign! Now my hearing's getting fuzzy too!"_

But the gunshot she heard next contradicted that.

_"So much for that idea.. what the hell is that buzzing?"_

Tilar looked around at her opponents to find them starring up into the sky with stunned expressions. She then felt a strong wind around her and looked up as well. Tilar looked up Through blurry eyes, she saw a great black figure floating in the sky, the image little more then a massive blur as she tried desperately to will her vision to clear enough to be able to decipher it.

"Hey! Need a lift?" Shouted a familiar voice.

She knew that voice. Who did it belong to?

It took a few moments but eventually it came to her. The voice belonged to the man she'd met just that day; Reno.

Tilar blinked violently a few times until she could finally see him clearly, if only for a moment. He was looking down at her with a teasing and playful expression but his eyes were laiden with concern and worry. She debated saying no but realized that it would probably mean the death of both her and her sibling if she did. So reluctantly, she nodded and gave him a small nod, hissing at the pain the movement caused.

Reno disappeared for a few seconds, then reappeared and lowered a rope ladder. Tilar staggered over to TJ's bike and grabbed her still unconscious brother before reaching out to latch onto the ladder. Reno began hoisting the ladder as quickly as he could, seeing that her ability to climb to him was alarmingly impossible in the state she was in; it was all she could do to keep a firm grip on her brother.

His face contorting angrily, Talik turned to his lackeys and snarled.

"Don't just stand there you idiots! Shoot! Don't let her escape!"

As one the men began firing began firing at her, and not being able to block, avoid them or defend herself, Tilar had no choice but to try and climb.

Reno had finally managed to pull her up and the young woman pushed the unconscious TJ up to him before reaching for his outstretched hand herself. Their fingers brushed, but before the redhead could grasp her hand, a stray bullet snapped the ladder and Tilar felt herself falling back to the earth. She knew for sure if a bullet didn't kill her, the fall would; but before she could find out which it would be, Tilar felt something wrap around her wrist. She looked up to see that Reno was hanging halfway out of the helicopter with both his hands wrapped around hers.

"It's OK, I gotcha!" He said reassuringly. "Give me your other hand!"

Tilar starred at him for a second, then reached out and took the hand he'd released her with, feeling the strong and callused hands on hers tighten. Reno began to pull her up and as he did, Tilar couldn't tear her eyes from his face.

The redhead had just pulled Tilar through the threshold when she suddenly felt a sharp, burning pain pierce her thigh, making her scream out. Looking down she saw a deep, bleeding hole in her thigh.

"Shit!" Reno excaimed loudly. He shut the door to the chopper and ignored the pelting of gunfire that told them the men below were not ready to give up. "Hang on, I'll get you something for that."

Tilar nodded, and when she did her head pounded violently, blurring her vision nearly beyond recognition. She grabbed her aching skull and groaned softly.

Reno turned around and picked up a small case. Opening it, he pulled out some gauze, a pair of scissors, tweezers, alcohol and bandages. He then looked back to Tilar, and seeing her cradling her skull in her hands, he frowned.

"Looks like that smack to the head did some damage. Here, lean back and try to relax."

Reno placed a hand on Tilar's shoulder and gently pushed her back until she was leaning against the side of the chopper. Tilar tried to look at him, but her vision no longer allowed her to decipher images correctly. So, doing as her rescuer had instructed, she laid her head back and closed her eyes to tried and relax.

Reno cut Tilar's pants up to the wound and gently peeled them back, then quickly sterilized the tweezers.

"This might hurt a bit." He warned.

Tilar sat wordless and motionless as Reno prodded and worked at removing the bullet. Not hearing a peep or feeling a flinch, he looked up at her and smiled.

"Tough one are we?"

"I've been through worse." Tilar admitted truthfully. Reno, not really surprised, smiled again in respect and looked back down.

"I see." He replied simply.

Reno finally removed the bullet and splashed some alcohol onto the wound, looking up again to see an emotionless face. Again he smiled, this one a little brighter. He then put some gauze on the wound and bandaged it up.

"OK, so it's not Doctor quality, but I'm pretty sure you won't die." He said with a teasing grin.

Tilar could barely hold back a smile - but she managed.

Thinking his playfulness had no effect, the redhead laughed lightly.

"Geeze, tough crowd." Reno said playfully.

There was suddenly a jolt as the chopper jerked to the side.

"Reno! Get the hell out here and fly this thing before I crash it!"

Tilar recognised the voice as Reno's partner, Rude.

Reno grinned and stood up, giving Tilar a playful wink.

"What'd I tell ya. There's no better pilot than yours truly."

Reno walked out to the front of the helicopter and took over the piloting form Rude. Once he was settled in, he spoke again.

"Those were some pretty intense moves back there." He complemented honestly, genuinely impressed.

Tilar frowned in response, not replying as she pushed herself off the side of the chopper and ignored her own damages as she moved to tend to her still unconscious brother.

After a few moments of no response, Reno continued.

"I've seen those guys around. They're not your ordinary, everyday thugs."

"You have no idea..." Tilar muttered under her breath. Not hearing her, Reno continued.

"I'm impressed you managed to keep 'em off, let alone take out two of 'em. Those guys are good. You have some serious skills."

Getting annoyed by his praise, Tilar looked out at Reno in the cockpit and gave him a dull stare.

"That's enough." She replied bluntly. "I've got some skill, yes; but it's all self-taught and then still nothing compared to those bastards. I've got enough skill and common sense to keep myself and my brother alive, but that's where it ends. I'm no heroine."

Reno smirked.

"Now you're just being modest." He replied. "Either that or you're looking for more praise."

Tilar rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him as she looked down at her brother, tending to the wound on his head with the kit Reno had used on her.

There was silence for a few moments until eventually Reno spoke again.

"You know, we've been looking for a new member for a while now. I think with your skills, you'd have a job two seconds flat."

Tilar looked out at him again and raised an eyebrow.

"Who said I don't already have a job?"

"Who said it mattered?" Reno countered with a grin. "I can guarantee that this job is better than any one you've got or might have had."

Tilar starred at the back of Reno's head for a minute, then looked at Rude. She'd barely heard him speak at all since the time she'd met him.

"What exactly do you do?" She asked either who would answer. Go figure it'd be Reno.

"Heh. Can't tell ya that. It's confidential. But I can tell ya this; whether you're lookin' for a job or not, this ones the right one for you."

Tilar considered this for a minute.

"I'll think about it." She stated simply after a while.

Reno smirked, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"Good. You do that. So, where ya headed? Back to Seventh heaven?"

Tilar gave him an odd look.

"Where?" Tilar asked in confusion, the name sounding oddly familiar but unable to place it.

"Tifa's bar." Reno said simply, unsurprised of her lack of memory due to her trauma. "Where we met this morning."

Then it clicked. Yes if course! How could that have slipped her mind.

"That's right..." She mumbled with a frown, reaching up to place the heel of her hand to her steadily throbbing forehead. "Seventh Heaven... yes, please."

Reno nodded once.

"Right-O." He replied cheerfully.

Tilar looked away from Reno and back at her brother. Something told her that this wasn't the last time she would see the red-head, and somehow, she knew that life as they knew it had already took a dramatic change - hopefully for the better.


	3. Tilar's First Job

**A/N:** Not that I'm really expecting any, but PLEEEEEEASE review!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters except Tilar and TJ (or anyone else I may specify). I only own this story/idea.

* * *

It had been a week since Tilar and TJ's 'minor mishap', and the two were now fully healed - Thanks to a rare and powerful potion Tilar had picked up in the last town. She made a mental note to make sure she revisited it and picked up more the next chance she had.

After a nice, long, heated lecture for TJ, Tilar helped her brother fix his bike (which they had recovered shortly after), and re-vamped both his and hers to be no longer recognisable to anyone. She had then curiously asked Cloud about what Reno and Rude had meant by 'bringing Sephiroth back'. Cloud had snorted indignantly and informed her that it had all been a hoax to get him to go see Shinra. As it was, it turned out to be nothing but some simple project Shinra had wanted him to help with. Of course, Cloud had quickly turned them down and left them in his dust.

So, having all that settled, Tilar had gotten down to the task of finding a job. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of being a barmaid like Tifa but she didn't reject the idea completely. It would be a last resort. After looking around a bit and turning down many an idea, Tilar finally decided to give waitressing a try. And it is here that their story continues.

* * *

"I am NOT wearing this." Tilar said with disgust, looking herself over in the full-length mirror in her room.

Tifa bit her cheek to hold back a laugh.

"Oh I don't know, I think it looks... flattering."

Tilar turned and gave her an unamused look. Tifa laughed heartedly and gave Tilar a smile.

"Aw, come on, it's not so bad. I've seen worse. Besides, it's only a job."

Tilar sighed and turned back to the mirror. The uniform she had to wear was a short pink and white dress type. It barely reached her mid-thigh and it tied around the neck. Tilar had been to many restaurants and such but she had never seen the employees wear anything so skimpy before in her life.

"This is awful! I look like a cheap whore!" Tilar spat disgustedly. Tifa laughed again.

"Hey, like I said, it's only a job. Just give it a try. If you don't like it, you can always quit."

Tilar sighed and tied her apron around her waist, making it hang as low as it possibly could.

"Yea, you're right."

Tilar looked at her watch and decided it was time to leave. She would start her new job in about an hour.

"Well, I guess I'll leave now. Wish me luck."

Tifa grinned.

"Good luck." She said.

Tilar grabbed a jacket, then left her room and headed downstairs. When she reached the bar, TJ and Marlene, who had been talking to Cloud, stopped and looked at her. Her younger sibling sit out his drink upon seeing her while Marlene stared with wide eyes and Cloud raised an eyebrow. Smiling in amusement, Cloud looked down, closing his eyes instead of looking at her. The two children on the other hand looked barely able to contain themselves.

Tilar looked at them all and scowled.

"Not a word!" She threatened dangerously. But despite her words, the children burst into laughter.

"What... are you... wearing?" TJ managed through raucous laughter.

Cloud bit his cheek and his smile grew.

Ignoring them all and feeling both her anger and embarrassment sky-rocketing, Tilar left Seventh Heaven. Sighing angrily, she pulled on her jacket. The restaurant she was supposed to work at was not to far away so she decided to walk instead of taking her bike. She soon regretted that decision, however, as she hurried along her way to avoid the many stares she received as she walked.

Tilar got to her job twenty minutes early and immediately went to talk to her new boss. He introduced her to her fellow employees and set her up with her position. The job seemed pretty straight forward and she didn't feel quite so out of place as she realized there were a number of other people wearing the exact same skimpy uniform she was.

Maybe this job wouldn't be so bad after all.

Tilar took the pen and notepad handed to her and left her boss's office.

* * *

"Tilar!" A fellow employee called. "Table thirteen is ready to order!"

"OK." Tilar replied.

She had been at the restaurant for a few hours now and so far so good. Tilar was impressed by the ease of the job. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but so far it was tolerable.

The young woman made her way through the tables, trying her best to ignore the smoke floating on the air and the many disgusting people all around her. When she finally reached the table in question, Tilar did her best to force a pleasant smile.

"Hello, welcome to Jerani foods. May I take your order?"

A particularly atrocious man looked away from the people he was talking to and up at her with the most wicked grin she'd ever seen.

"Well 'ello there missy. Never seen you 'ere before. You must be new 'eh?"

Tilar took a deep breath and forced herself to keep her smile in place.

"Yes sir, I am."

"Aw, there's no need for the formalities love. You can call me Jasper."

Tilar had to force herself not to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Alright. Can I take your order? It's a bit busy today."

The man smirked.

"Alright there love, don't worry your pretty little 'ead. Lets see, whats we gonna 'ave boys?"

Jasper looked at the two men sitting with him, who were just as disgusting as he was, and received smirks in return. He then looked back to Tilar.

"Lets see. I think I'll 'ave a nice tall glass o' your finest." He said, sizing up Tilar's long legs with a grin. "And top it off with two a them, big, soft meat pies."

Tilar's teeth clenched as Jasper sized up her breasts suggestively.

"Will that be all?" She said through clenched teeth, not bothering with politeness now.

"Yea, that'll be all sweetheart. You bring me that, an' I'll be one 'appy SOB."

Tilar scribbled the order down on her notepad and turned around angrily.

"'Ang on there love. I just remembered somethin' else."

Tilar stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Yes?" She hissed angrily.

"I think I'll 'ave a nice big steak to go with that there order. Nice and plump I want 'em."

Tilar lifted her note pad to scribble the extended order but froze when Jasper gave her backside a nice, hard slap.

"Nice and juicy like that one there."

Tilar fumed as her fists clenched at her sides.

_"It's just a job... it's just a job." _Tilar repeated over and over in her head. _"Just move on, just walk away and let it go."_

But when Tilar heard the three idiots behind her snicker and make another crude remark about her, she knew some things just weren't worth it.

_"Fuck the job!"_ She thought. And with that she whipped around and planted her fist hard into Jasper's face knocking him to the ground cold junk. Needless to say, that was the end of her first job.

* * *

"You're home early." Tifa commented in surprise as Tilar walked into Seventh Heaven. "You said you wouldn't be off till this afternoon, it's only been four or five hours."

"Some things just aren't worth it!" Tilar hissed through clenched teeth."

"What happened?" Cloud asked, only now entering the room. Tilar stopped her journey to her room and looked at them.

"I've met a lot of disgusting pieces of shit in my life and usually I can put up with it. That's just life. But I'll be paralyzed and in a wheelchair before I let some drunk-ass, filthy stinking pig get away with slapping my ass!"

Tilar turned then and continued back upstairs, ignoring the roars of laughter behind her as she walked.

"Raunchy, Dirty, disgusting, despicable-" Tilar continued to mumble disgustedly as she dried her hair. It had taken her nearly two hours of showering and soaking, and a WHOLE LOT of Marlene's smelly scented products, to get the repulsive smell from her hair and skin. She hadn't really realized how bad it all was when she was at the restaurant, but now that she was back home, she could smell it like a shark on the scent of blood.

"Well, there goes job one." Tilar mumbled moodily.

She reached out to pick up her brush on her dresser when she noticed a tiny, white piece of paper next to it. Picking it up instead, she read the paper to identify it. It was Reno's card. Tilar looked up and starred off blankly as she thought. It was worth a try right? There was no way it could be any worse than what she'd already been through that day. It was worth a shot right? Sure, why not.

* * *

Tilar drummed her fingers on the bar counter top, starring at the phone in front of her like it would decide the rest of her life - which probably wasn't too far from the truth. Eventually she sighed and picked it up, turning it on and punching in the numbers corresponding to the ones on the card in her hand.

Tilar listened as the phone rang multiple times. She waited for about six or seven rings and was about to hang up when someone finally answered.

"Good morning! Shinra corp, Leiah Carrison speaking!"

Tilar wrinkled her nose in disgust at the way-too-perky voice.

"I'm looking for Reno, is he available?"

"No, I'm sorry. Reno is in the field right now. Can I leave a message?"

Tilar ignored the fact that she had no idea what 'in the feild' meant, but remembered who Reno told her to ask for if he was unavailable.

"No, that's fine. Is Tseung available?"

"Hmm... Yes, I believe he is. One moment please."

Tilar heard a click followed by some extremely annoying music that she knew meant she had been put on hold. Tilar sighed heavily and hoped with all her might that this Tseung person answered soon.

After what felt like forever, a deep voice finally greeted Tilar.

"Hello, Tseung speaking."

Tilar straightened on the stool she was sitting on.

"Yes.. hello." Tilar replied a little awkwardly. She paused for a moment, not quite sure what to say, then cleared her throat and spoke again. "My name is Tilar Handling. I was told by... one of your staff? That I should call you."

"Really." Tseung stated more than asked. "And which of our staff was that?"

"Reno."

There was a pause before Tseung replied.

"Did he now." The deep voice stated again, his voice sounding a little weary. "So, let me guess; you want to join the TURKS?"

Tilar blinked a few times in confusion.

"The... what?"

Tseung sighed heavily.

"Did Reno even _explain_ to you what it is we do?" He asked, sounding greatly irritated.

Tilar chewed the side of her cheek for a moment.

"No..."

Tseung sighed again.

"TURKS stands for: Tactical Urban Reconnaissance and Killing Specialists. That sound like your idea of fun, miss? I think the name pretty much explains it, but just to fill you in on the full extent of our job, let me explain to you exactly what it is we do."

Tilar listened intently as Tseung spoke, explaining, in detail, exactly what it was these _TURKS_ did, and what their jobs were. She had a feeling that the man was trying to turn her off or scare her away, but instead of feeling put-off, Tilar felt a great sense of excitement. Everything the TURKS did played on her skills and talents and she knew immediately that it was the perfect job for her.

"I want to apply!" Tilar spat excitedly, Tseung barely having his last words out of his mouth.

She heard Tseung laughing in amusement on the other end and scowled in slight anger.

"_Apply?_" Tseung repeated in amusement. "You think this is some juvenile, after-school job? You have no idea the kind of things we see in the field and the things we have to face. I'm not sure you could handle it, miss."

Tilar felt her blood boil.

"You have no idea the kind of things_ I_ see and face nearly_ every day_." Tilar spat venomously. "I don't think _you'd_ be able to handle most of the things _I've_ been through, _sir_. Don't assume you know me and what I can handle just because of the sound of my voice and the fact that I'm a woman. I'm more than qualified for you job, and I'd be the best damn agent you've got if given the chance."

There was a long pause before Tseung spoke and Tilar expected to hear a dial tone at any second. She didn't however, give a damn. If this man was going to judge her before he even met her, and assume that because she was a woman she was weak, then she didn't want to work with him anyway.

"Are you free this afternoon?" Tseung eventually voiced flatly. Tilar was a little taken aback but quickly recovered and straightened proudly.

"As far as I know." She replied confidently, her nose stuck in the air for her own effect.

"Good. Come by at six sharp. And don't be late."

"I'll be there." Tilar replied, then she hung up the phone.

Tilar starred at the phone in her hands for a long time and finally a small smile graced her lips.

"What are you smiling about?"

Tilar turned to see TJ climbing up to sit on the stool next to her. She set her face into an indifferent expression and shrugged carelessly.

"Nothing. Just a job interview."

TJ smiled wide.

"Really? What kinda job?"

Tilar smiled slightly again.

"Something more worthy of my skills."

TJ grinned big.

"That's great Ty! You'll get the job for sure, I know you will!"

Tilar laughed and ruffled her brother's hair.

"I hope they like me as much as you do."

"They will!" TJ replied confidently, reaching up to fix his now messy hair.

Tilar put the phone back where it belonged and headed upstairs to her room to fetch a few select weapons; she had some excitement to work off.

* * *

Blue-green eyes starred up in awe as Tilar stopped in front of the Shinra building. She had gotten directions from Cloud on where to find it, but she was sure she would have had no trouble even if she hadn't.

Shaking her head, Tilar straightened and walked up to the building.

Once inside, Tilar walked up to the receptionist's desk and spoke to the lady behind it.

"Excuse me, I have an... a meeting, with Tseung at six."

The receptionist turned to her computer and typed a bit, then turned back to Tilar and smiled.

"Tilar Handling?"

Tilar nodded.

"One moment please."

Tilar rolled her eyes as the petite young lady walked away, noting with annoyance that she was definitely the same woman who had answered the phone earlier that day. She walked over to the window and looked out it. There wasn't really much to see, mostly cars and helicopters arriving and taking off, and occasionally, a person in uniform appeared in her line of view before quickly disappearing again.

Tilar watched all this with mild interest until she got the feeling she was being watched. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that the secretary had returned, but was accompanied, this time, by another woman, who looked very much like a waitress. The two were whispering together and kept glancing at Tilar, obviously talking about her, though they seemed to be trying very hard to hide the fact.

Tilar rolled her eyes again and turned back toward the window. She tried to ignore the two irritating women, but feeling their eyes burning into her back, the task proved to be impossible.

Tilar turned on her heel and marched up to the two women, stopping directly in front of them and starring down her nose at them as she narrowed her eyes slightly, a greatly irritated expression on her face.

"Is there a _reason_ you're starring and whispering to each other like childish school girls? Or did you take an interest in me? If so, sorry to break it to you, but I don't swing that way."

Tilar had to hold back a smirk. She didn't usually have a very good sense of humor, so she was proud of herself for the comment. Perhaps TJ was finally rubbing off on her.

The secretary blushed slightly and the waitress gave her a scowl.

"Why did you call Reno?" She blurted snottily. Tilar raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" She replied coldly. "I don't see how that's any of your buisness."

The waitress glared at her.

"It is my business cause I want to know why some _woman_ would be calling my boyfriend!"

Tilar rolled her eyes.

"In case you didn't notice, this is a workplace, not an apartment or some elementary school. If you wanna be possessive over someone, go adopt a kid, cause I'm pretty sure Reno is a big boy and can take care of himself."

Tilar turned then to walk away but paused to look over her shoulder.

"But just to shut you up and prove a point, Reno is nothing more to me than an acquaintance, if that. And that, you nosy prat, is all you need to know."

Tilar turned forward again and made to walk away, but she didn't get far before the two women were in front of her again.

"I'm glad you cleared that up! Sorry for being so forward, I just want to make sure no tramp is after my man you know?"

Tilar ruffled at the obviously intentional insult, and starred at the extremely annoying waitress before her. She had decided upon laying eyes on her that she didn't like the childish woman, who barely looked twenty, if that.

"Yea well, like I said, Reno's a big boy."

"Anyway, I'm Kandy, and you already know Leiah right?"

Tilar resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. Kandy? Surely that was not the woman's real name, it had to be self-dubbed.

"Charmed, I'm sure." She replied sarcastically.

"And what's your name?" Kandy asked perkily.

"..Tilar." Tilar replied reluctantly.

Kandy beamed excitedly, reminding Tilar of a time when TJ had once had too much candy and gotten a major sugar high. The woman opened her mouth to speak but a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Tilar Handling?"

Tilar turned to see a man with long, black hair looking at her.

"Yea. You're Tseung I presume?"

The man nodded and gestured her to follow him, and she did so happily.

"Bye Tilar! Hope to see you again!"

Tilar gave a slight wave over her shoulder and scowled in disinterest.

"Not if I'm lucky." She replied under her breath.

When the two were a good distance from the two over-perky women, Tseung smirked.

"Making friends already I see." He said playfully. Tilar snorted.

"I liked them better when they hated me." She replied bluntly. This made Tseung laugh lightly.

Tseung lead Tilar to an elevator and gestured her inside, then pressed a button marked B2 and waited for the lift to start.

Tilar stood silently, waiting for the lift to stop. Since they had already been on the first floor, there were only two basement floors below them, so it took merely seconds.

Once the doors opened, Tilar followed Tseung outside the lift and to a set of doors. He punched in a code on a keypad and the heavy doors opened loudly. When they walked inside, lights came on and Tilar could see that the enormous room was some sort of training or practice area. Tilar hid her awe, but she couldn't deny, she was greatly impressed.

Tseung turned to her then with a straight face.

"Can you handle a weapon?"

"What kind of weapon?" Tilar replied.

"Anything." He replied simply.

"Yes."

A slightly annoyed expression crossed the man's face.

"_Which_ weapon?" He asked as if talking to a child. Tilar smirked.

"Anything."

Tseung raised an eyebrow.

"Really." He stated again. "This should be interesting."

Tseung walked over to another set of heavy doors and entered another code. Once the doors opened, he walked inside and soon emerged carrying something. He tossed the object to Tilar, who caught it with ease, and looked at it. The object was a small pistol.

"Let's start with something simple."

Tilar looked up at Tseung with a bored and slightly insulted look, causing the man to laugh again.

"Hey, I said it was a start."

Tilar snorted indignantly.

"Fine." She replied, doing her best to appear calm and collected. "Where's my target?"

Tseung smirked again and pointed a ways away.

"There."

Tilar turned and spotted the target. It was a long way away and Tilar knew that the pistol couldn't reach that far. She turned back to Tseung with a small glare.

"No pistol can reach that far and you know it. Don't insult my intelligence."

Tseung's smirked widened.

"How do you know if you don't try?"

Tilar scowled at him and lifted the pistol from her side, not even bothering to look at the target and simply starred at Tseung instead, firing the entire round at what she knew was nothing.

When the round was spent, Tseung pulled a small remote control from his pocket and clicked a button. The target Tilar had been firing at, right in her line of fire, came towards them. When it was in front of them, Tseung looked at it, then back at Tilar. The target was unscathed and since it was right in her line of fire, there was no way Tilar would have missed had it been closer. Tseung looked at her approvingly.

"Good job . So far, I'm impressed."

Tilar tossed the small projectile back to Tseung and crossed her arms.

"Like I said, don't insult me."

Tseung smiled to himself, then disappeared back inside the heavy doors, this time emerging with rather large gun, one Tilar recognised as a sniper rifle.

"Alright, no tricks, no games this time. Those are your targets. They'll be moving fairly rapidly and you have exactly ten seconds to take them all down."

Tilar looked at the targets Tseung was referring to. There were seven in all and they were all shaped like people, each a different size. Some were the size of an average man, and some, which made Tilar sick to her stomach, were the size of children.

"Take your position." Tseung instructed. Tilar set the rifle down and got set up.

"Ready?"

Tilar got in position and nodded.

"OK... go!"

The targets began moving as if they were running. Although it may have been a challenge to anyone else, such an exercise was easy picking after the life Tilar'd had. With practiced ease, she picked off each of the targets at kill point with seconds to spare.

Turning to look at Tseung, who looked greatly impressed - though he was obviously making a great effort to hide it - Tilar starred at him, looking a little angry if not enraged and disgusted.

After a few silent moments, Tseung turned away from the fallen targets and looked at Tilar.

"Impressive." He said, sounding only mildly impressed. "But two guns aren't 'everything'. Now the fun begins."

"Is murdering children what you call_ fun_?" She growled in disgust. Tseung's expression darkened.

"Sometimes you've gotta do hard things, things you might not necessarily want to do. If you can't handle that, miss Handler, then this is the wrong job for you."

Tilar's expression darkened but she bit her tongue. She knew that if it ever came down to her and a child at gun point, there wouldn't be anything to think about; it'd be their life over hers because she'd never pull the trigger. That thought considered, however, Tilar wanted to join the TURKS now more then ever. If these bastards were the people running the show, then maybe the operation needed a decent soul like hers to even out the odds.

Lifting her chin confidently, Tilar looked down her nose at Tseung like she had the annoying girls earlier.

"Bring it on." She said confidently.

Tseung smirked and tossed took the rifle to exchange it for something else. Pointing to another set of targets he waited for her to set up before speaking.

"Begin."

Tilar proved her worth over and over again with every weapon imaginable; from guns, to swords, to shuriken, to every type of melee weapon one could think of. She'd even done a decent job with a crossbow and a pair of nunchucks, wisely deciding to keep that tiny fact from her younger brother when he interrogated her later. She was sure Tseung had made her demonstrate every weapon known to mankind, and indeed the man seemed to have exhausted his supply.

Eventually, Tseung took the last weapon Tilar had used and laid it to one side, not disappearing this time into the room nearby. He crossed his arms and starred at her for a moment, causing Tilar to straighten confidently under his scrutiny. This made the man resist an approving smile. He could tell that she was a proud and confident woman who wasn't easily intimidated. These were all good qualities for his line of work.

"I have to admit Miss Handler, I'm greatly impressed. Greatly. I haven't seen skills like yours in a very long time."

Tilar gave a slight, respectful and thankful nod.

"Thank you." She replied, but she knew Tseung wasn't finished. And sure enough, he continued.

"However, when it comes down to it, I'm not the one you need to impress, I'm just here to initiate the 'interview' for lack of a better word. The one you need to impress is watching from above."

Tilar gave Tseung a confused look, a little surprised to think of him as a spiritual man, but followed his finger with her gaze to the wall and understood. Mounted nearby was a small and discrete, smart looking security camera. Tilar turned back to Tseung and waited for him to continue once more.

"On the receiving side of that is the President. He's been watching you and it's him who decides if you'll get the job or not. You can take your leave now Ms. Handler, we'll call you when the President decides."

Tilar nodded again and gave Tseung her number, then turned and left the Shinra building.

* * *

Tseung made his way down the long hall, smiling as he walked. Tilar Handler had been a wonderful surprise, and he couldn't help but wonder how on earth Reno had come across her. He chuckled as he imagined Reno hitting on the ebony-haired beauty at a bar or something of the sort, and finally ending up getting his ass kicked for the gesture as Tseung and Rude had warned him about time and time again. No, she definitely wasn't the sort of girl Reno usually persuaded into his bed, and Tseung had a feeling that if he was interested, it wouldn't be an easy task for the redhead in the future either.

Still, just as he'd told Tilar, Tseung wasn't the person she needed to impress, Rufus was. And it was just that person whom he was currently on his way to see.

Finally arriving at his destination, Tseung stopped in front of a handsome door and knocked curtly. Receiving a response, he pushed open the door and walked inside, giving his employer a respectful low bow before speaking.

"You've seen the new candidate sir?" Tseung enquired. Rufus turned away from the computer screen on his desk and looked at Tseung.

"Yes, I have... I thought it was rather funny actually. She reminds me of a mix of all of you. She has Elana's spunk and spirit, yours and Rude's intelligence and serious composure and Reno's talents and determined nature. A mix of the best of all of you."

Rufus turned his rotating chair away from Tseung and looked out the window behind his desk.

"Let me ask you something Tseung. Do you think she could handle herself well enough if given this job?"

Tseung considered this. There was really no way of telling how someone would react if put in a certain situation, and Tilar had obviously been more then a little disgusted when she was told to shoot the targets for the sniper rifle - no-doubt because some of them were child-size. It was highly un-likely that she'd ever have to shoot a child, such a thought admittedly disgusted Tseung as well. Still, they couldn't have an agent hesitating in the field either... Though, again, he hadn't seen talent and skills like Tilar's in a long time.

Finally, after much thought, Tseung spoke again.

"Yes sir, I do. I think Tilar Handler would be a valuable asset to our team."

"I'm glad you think so Tseung." Rufus said. After a short pause he spoke again. "Call and have her return as soon as possible. She starts Monday."


	4. Welcome to the family!

**A/N:** Hope you guys are liking' the re-edit so far! ^^ I'm adding a few more details as well as I go along, so hopefully that'll make things more interesting. Once again, please R&R! I've I get enough interest, I might just put out some more of the oneshots I had planned for this story! ^^

**Disclaimer:** I own my OCs and nothing else.

* * *

Tilar revelled in the silence of the room as she polished her favorite dagger. Lately; and all day; TJ, Marlene and their mutual friend, Denzel, had been making a grand racket and Tilar had thought she was going to lose her mind before the day was through. Fortunately though, no doubt after having spent years with his sister, TJ recognised his sister's look of intense impatience and wisely ushered his friends elsewhere.

Now sitting alone, Tilar decided she'd better enjoy her peace while it lasted. It was just as she was getting used to said peace that a very annoying sound ruined it.

"I guess some things just aren't meant to be." Tilar said to herself with a sigh. She waited for someone to answer the phone but no one seemed to be around. She looked about the room but it appeared she was alone. So, after a hesitant pause, Tilar reached for the phone and picked it up.

"Hello, Seventh Heaven." Tilar replied a little uncomfortably.

"Hello, Tilar Handling?"

Tilar blinked a few times, a little surprised that someone was looking for her. She again hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should confirm this, but soon decided she'd take the chance and swallowed before answering.

"Yes, this is Tilar. Who's this?"

"Tseung. How soon can you get back here?"

Tilar starred ahead of her in confusion.

"Um...? I'm not sure... Why?"

Tseung seemed to ignore her.

"Be here as soon as possible. We won't wait forever."

There was a faint click followed by a dial tone and Tilar starred at the phone in utter confusion. Eventually she shook her head and hung it back up. She grabbed a pen and paper and scribbled a quick note to the others, then got up and once again left Seventh Heaven in direction of Shinra.

* * *

Tilar once again stood outside the massive building she hoped she would soon be seeing a lot of. It was the second time that day that she'd been there and it was very late in the night, surely nearly midnight. She hadn't expected them to call her back so soon and certainly not to ask her to return to see them so late in the night. For the first time since she was a child, Tilar felt excited.

Walking into the seemingly deserted building, Tilar looked around. Most of the lights were out and no one seemed to be around, not even; surprisingly; the annoying secretary who she'd met earlier.

Tilar stood in place and looked around the huge lobby, feeling quite lost in the spacious room.

"Good, you're here."

Tilar turned around and was once again met with a familiar face. She gave a small, respectful nod at Tseung but he didn't return the gesture.

"Follow me." He said tonelessly. Tilar starred after his retreating form for a few steps, then shook her head and quickly followed after him.

Tseung waited for Tilar to once again join him in the elevator, then pressed a button marked 1 once she did, the number being the very upper-most floor. The ride was silent and Tilar felt her excitement quickly turn to nervousness as she stood silently.

Finally the lift stopped and the doors opened. Tseung got out and Tilar wordlessly followed. He lead her down a long hall, with a scarce number of doors on either side of them, until they finally arrived at a handsome looking door at the end, which stood out from the rest. Tseung knocked twice and waited for a response before opening it and gesturing Tilar inside. Tilar walked inside and Tseung followed, closing the door in front of them. She stopped in front of a large, expensive looking desk and waited a little nervously to be addressed.

The person behind the desk was sitting in a high-backed chair and was back-on to Tilar, while Tseung stood a short distance behind her in a statue-like position with his hands folded low in front of him.

Tilar waited for a long time, and just when she thought she couldn't take it any more and decided to open her mouth to speak, the person in the chair finally turned around and looked at her. The person was a young, handsome blonde man. On his desk, Tilar only now noticed, was a shinny plaque which read Rufus Shinra. Noting this, she assumed that this man was the President of Shinra.

"Welcome, Miss Handler." Rufus greeted kindly, his elbows resting on the desk and hands folded in front of him.

"Thank you for returning so quickly, reliability is a much appreciated characteristic in this organization. I asked Tseung to inform you why you've been asked to return, but I later decided to do it myself."

Rufus pushed his chair away and stood up, walking around it until he was facing Tilar. He put his hands in his pockets and starred at her for a minute, then gave her a subtle smile.

"It's been a long time since I've seen skills like yours. I realize that you've only demonstrated your skill with weaponry, but that along with your... character, is enough to qualify you; the rest can either be taught or isn't necessary with your other talents. Having said that, I'm sure you can guess where I'm going with this."

Tilar had to force back a smile. It was the first time since before her parents died that she really felt appreciated - not counting TJ of course.

"Yes sir, I believe I do."

Rufus's smile widened.

"Not even officially one of us yet and she's already using formalities. You really are an impressive woman Miss Handler."

"Thank you sir." Tilar replied, waiting impatiently for Rufus to continue.

"Well I suppose there's no point in delaying the inevitable. You start Monday. Return home, collect your things, rest, whatever, and be back here bright and early nine am tomorrow morning."

A small smile escaped Tilar's lips and she gave a small bow to her new employer.

"Yes sir. Thank you."

Rufus smiled at her and nodded, and Tilar turned then and headed for the door, returning the small smile Tseung gave her as she walked past him.

* * *

Tilar arrived back at Seventh Heaven at around one am. She was therefor a little surprised to see everyone up and waiting for her, including TJ and Marlene.

"You're back!" TJ shouted happily, rushing up to his sister and wrapping his arms around her waist. Tilar absently returned the embrace and looked up and Cloud and Tifa.

"Where were you?" The other woman asked curiously. "The note just said you were gone out.. it's kinda late to be simply 'going out' isn't it?"

Tilar ruffled TJ's hair and pulled away from him, walking up to sit in front of Tifa at the bar.

"Yea, I went back to Shinra."

Cloud gave her a questioning look.

"Shinra?"

Tilar nodded.

"I went there earlier for... an interview. They were really impressed with me and... well, I got a job."

Tifa smiled and TJ and Marlene cheered. Cloud on the other hand frowned.

"A job? You mean you joined the TURKS?"

Tilar nodded and smiled a little. Cloud starred at her for a moment, then turned and left the room without a word. Tilar starred after him in confusion, then gave Tifa a questioning look. Tifa merely sighed.

"Don't mind him." She replied with a lopsided smile. "He's never really liked the TURKS. He'll come around eventually though. In the mean time, congratulations! I hope you like this job better than the first one."

Tilar laughed a little and nodded.

"Me too. But I'm sure I will. It can't be any worse for sure." Tilar paused for a moment. "Then again, I'd better be careful, things can always be worse."

Tifa laughed and gave Tilar a small smile.

"Well, I'm just glad you're finally getting settled in."

Tilar nodded.

"I am. I came back to pack and whatever and I'm supposed to be back there tomorrow."

Tilar then turned to TJ.

"I know you just got settled in here buddy, but this is the last move, I swear."

A distressed look crossed TJ's face.

"What? No! Please, I don't wanna leave Tilar! Can't I stay here? PLEASE!"

Tilar frowned and looked at Tifa, who in return smiled and gave her a nod. Tilar sighed and looked back at her brother.

"Alright, you can stay here..."

TJ beamed and threw his arms around Tilar.

"Thank you Ty!"

Tilar hugged him back and nodded.

"I suppose it makes sense anyway, considering I'll probably be gone all the time. Besides, if you're here I won't have to worry about you."

Tilar looked back at Tifa.

"Thank you."

Tifa nodded again.

"No problem. I told you guys that this is your home if you want it to be."

Tilar once again ruffled TJ's hair and this time he pulled away on his own to irritably fix it.

"Well, I'm going to go pack and get some sleep. See you guys in the morning."

The three remaining people in the room chorused a response in unison and Tilar headed off to her room.

* * *

The sun was bright and the sky was clear. Tilar smiled as she sped towards her destination. After a fond farewell, she had once again left Seventh Heaven and sped towards Shinra. She got there in record time and grabbed her two large bags from her bike, each containing her only worldly possessions, and headed inside the building. Walking up to the secretary's desk, she barely had her mouth open when the woman she now knew as Leiah turned to her with a smile.

"Good morning Miss Handler!" The secretary greeted. "Mr. President is expecting you. Please go on up."

Tilar nodded and made her way to the elevator, pressing the top floor button and waiting impatiently as it brought her to where she was suppose to go.

Tilar knocked on the handsome door and opened it to walk inside once she received a response. She laid her things just inside the door and walked up to stand in front of the desk. Unlike the first time she'd been in the room, it was a little more crowded this time. Tilar looked around the room and noticed four other people besides herself and Rufus. She recognised Tseng, and also Reno and his partner Rude, but the fourth person she didn't know.

"Ah, there you are Miss Handler, I- May I call you Tilar?"

Tilar smiled slightly.

"Yes sir, Tilar is fine."

Rufus nodded.

"Alright. I'd like you to meet the rest of your team Tilar. I know you've already met Tseng and Reno, but have you met Rude and Elena?"

"I've met Rude." Tilar replied, looking at the four uniformed people in the room.

Rufus walked up to them and gestured to Elena.

"This is Elana. Elana, this is Tilar."

The blonde woman, apparently named Elena, smiled and stepped forward, stretching out her hand. Tilar gave a small smile in return and surprisingly shook the hand extended to her.

"Hey, nice to meet you." Elena said. Tilar nodded.

"You too." She replied simply. Rufus then spoke again.

"The reason we needed a new member was because I needed Tseng for other business, therefor, we needed a new partner for Elena. So, from now on Tilar, you and Elena will be partners. Understood?"

Tilar turned to Rufus and nodded. She didn't like the idea of having to work with someone, she felt she did better alone. But, she also knew she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Yes sir, I understand."

"Good." Rufus replied. "I see you've got your things, is that it?"

Tilar nodded and Rufus mimicked her.

"Good." He said again. "Elena will show you to your apartment and you can get settled in. You start Monday because I will be away this weekend and have no need for either of you. Therefor, I want you to take this time to get settled in and get to know the rest of the TURKS. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright. Here's your uniform and the keys to your apartment. Tseng will take you later to let you chose your weapons of choice. I realize you probably have your own, but while in the field or on a mission, you will use the weapons issued to you."

Rufus looked at Elena then.

"Elena, I take it you know which apartment this key is for?"

Elena nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Alright, that's all. You're all dismissed."

"Yes sir." The four TURKS replied in unison. Tilar then followed Elena out the door, simply giving Reno an unamused look when he winked at her as she walked past him.

* * *

"Well, this is it."

Tilar and Elena stopped in front of a white wooded door. Tilar nodded and unlocked the door. Once inside, her mouth dropped open as she starred around it in awe.

"It's... it's... huge!"

Elena smiled and shrugged.

"Yea, it's pretty big. That's kinda one of the reasons I don't like them, they seem so impersonal and lonely."

Tilar looked at the blonde woman.

"Well, it doesn't matter, I won't be here much anyway."

Elena nodded.

"No, you won't." She then looked around herself, then looked back at Tilar. "Well, I'm sure I don't need to give you a tour of your own apartment right? You can find everything on your own?"

Tilar nodded.

"Yea, I'll be OK. Thanks."

Elena smiled.

"No problem. Oh, and mine and Tseng's apartments are numbers one and four... his is one of course. You can come see us anytime if you need anything."

Tilar nodded again.

"OK."

"Well, I think that's all, other than that, I look forward to working with you."

Tilar gave Elena a small smile, she liked her already.

"You too. Thanks again."

Elena smiled again and left, leaving Tilar to unpack and get used to the massive apartment all by herself.

* * *

Tilar had just put away the last of her things and opened the closet in her new bedroom to place her uniforms inside. She starred in shock at the overflowing contents that greeted her upon opening the doors. The closet seemed to be a walk-in closet and contained more clothes then Tilar thought she'd ever wear. Skimming through a select few things, she noticed that everything seemed to be her size, or at least around about. A lot of the items were things Tilar didn't like and knew she'd never wear, but some of it she actually liked and so couldn't help but smile. She felt a little odd though as she thought back to her own clothes she'd recently put into drawers. Besides weapons, Tilar had very little to her name. Thanks to her family fortune, both her and TJ had access to a fair amount of money; and due to it rarely being touched, the account had, needless to say, grown very fat. However, due to moving so much, neither of them could be bothered with having to carry around more than their bikes could carry. So because of this, having each other was the most important things in their lives.

Shaking her head, Tilar found a few vacant hangers and hung the few sets of uniforms Rufus had given her on them. Having finished getting 'settled in', as Rufus had called it, Tilar made her way out of the closet and room, and into the living room. She had just sat down however when a knock sounded at her door. Tilar sighed lightly and stood from the couch, making her way then to the front door. She was admittedly a little surprised to see the person standing on the other side.

"Hello my new fellow employee!"

"Reno?"

Reno smiled and walked past Tilar into the apartment. Tilar raised an eyebrow but closed the door behind him nonetheless.

"Nice place huh? Bet you've never seen anything like this before."

Tilar frowned.

"I haven't seen much of any place before." Tilar mumbled under her breath. Reno turned back around to face her.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

Tilar sighed.

"Nothing."

Reno seemed to not care about Tilar's quiet statement and continued, now looking around the apartment again.

"OK. Anyway, I came to ask you to go out with me tonight."

Tilar tilted her head to one side a little in confusion.

"Go out with you?"

Reno turned back to face her and an odd expression crossed his face. He smiled at her and Tilar felt a strange feeling in her chest and stomach.

"Not like a date. Just like, ya know, friends... collegues. To welcome you to the family."

Tilar smiled at this.

Family.

She had another family.

"OK, I'd like that." Tilar replied with a small smile. Reno smiled back.

"Good choice. So, I'll be back around eightish."

Tilar glanced up at the wall, noting it was now around one o'clock, then looked back at Reno and nodded.

"OK, I'll be ready."

Reno's smile widened a little and he gave her a playful salute.

"Right-o. See ya then."

Tilar watched Reno leave, then shook her head once he was gone and made her way to the kitchen to find something to eat.

* * *

Tilar stood in front of the walk-in closet and starred, ignoring the rumble in her stomach like she had many times before. She wasn't sure what she'd been thinking, but it had slipped her mind in any case. Why would there be food in an empty apartment? She sighed and walked past the numerous hangers. It was now around seven-thirty and she was trying to decide on what to wear. In all her life, Tilar couldn't remember ever having such a problem. She'd always just thrown on whatever suited the weather or whatever she was doing - such as hiding under the cloak of darkness which made sense to wear black. But now, now she had no idea where she was going or what she would be doing.

Tilar sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. She walked into the closet and pulled down two random items from the rack, bending a little then to grab a pair of shoes and walked back out again. She threw the items on the bed and looked at them. There were a pair of snug, form-fitting, dark blue, denim jeans, a pair of high-heeled, black boots, and a nice looking red shirt with sleeves that reached just past her elbows. Deciding this was alright, Tilar put the items on and walked over to the mirror in the room. She starred at her reflection, then looked up at her hair, which was pulled back in a high pony-tail. She reached up and took out the buckle, then brushed it and ran her hands through it. Her hair nearly reached her elbows and was thick, wavy, a little curly, and shinny. She decided it was fine like that and picked up a bottle on the dresser the mirror was on. She recognised the bottle; knowing it contained perfume like one Tifa had, one she had liked; and decided to apply a little of it. When she put the bottle down, she took a pretty black jacket from the closet and put her modest and well-worn wallet inside and left the room.

After brushing her teeth, Tilar left the bathroom and heard another knock at the door. She looked up at the clock and knew by the time that it was Reno, so she looked around, decided there was nothing left for her to do, then grabbed the jacket containing the wallet and walked to the door.

Tilar opened the door, and sure enough, Reno stood on the other side. He was turned on his side, smiling at a man who had just waved and greeted him. His hands were in his pockets, and Tilar noted that he was no longer in his uniform - not that she'd expected him to be. He was wearing a crisp, clean, white button-down and light denim jeans, complete with a pair of comfy looking sneakers. The goggles she'd seen on his head before were absent, which Tilar thought was a pity because she'd rather liked them.

_"He... looks really good..."_ Tilar thought, feeling the same slight pressure and weird feeling from earlier in her chest and stomach again.

Reno finally looked at Tilar and his smile slipped a little as he did. He subtly looked her over, then smiled wide again, a low whistle emitting from his lips.

"Wow, you clean up good _Miss Handler_." He comment playfully.

Tilar tried to force back her smile, but her lips betrayed her and curled slightly.

"Thank you. You..." Tilar caught herself, not wanting to say what she was about to, and simply cleared her throat.

This response seemed to please Reno nonetheless and his smile widened.

"Sure. You ready?"

Tilar looked Reno over again. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, like his uniform had been, and his sleeves were loosely rolled up a little. He also wasn't wearing a jacket, so noting his attire, Tilar reasoned that she probably wouldn't need one either. She threw her Jacket back inside on the couch and shut the door behind her.

"Yea, I'm ready."

"Wow, you're the first woman I've ever taken out who was ready when I came."

Tilar tilted her head to one side in confusion again, causing the same look from earlier to cross Reno's face.

"Really? How many colleagues have you welcomed here?"

Reno's smile faded and he shifted a little uncomfortably.

"I didn't mean- never mind. C'mon, let's go."

Tilar furrowed her brows but Reno's smile returned and he offered her his arm. Deciding to ignore his previous comment, Tilar refused Reno's arm but stepped up beside him and allowed him to lead her away.

* * *

Laughter rang throughout the air as Tilar yet again laughed at something Reno had said. She seemed to be doing a lot of it that night, more than she could ever remember doing her her lifetime.

"Well, I said I wanted to take you out to welcome you." Reno said with a smile. He then raised his glass.

"So, welcome! Welcome to the family!"

Tilar laughed and raised her glass as well, allowing Reno to clink glasses with her. The two took a sip of their drinks - Reno a rather larger sip - and the redhead spoke again.

"By the way, congratulations on getting the job in the first place! Rufus isn't easy to impress."

Tilar took another sip of her drink to hide a rogue smile. When she put it back down she nodded.

"Thank you. Again. But I didn't really do anything... nothing that I don't do nearly every other day at least."

Reno smiled again and shook his head, then looked down at the glass she'd just placed on the table.

"Looks like we need refills." He said with a grin.

Tilar looked down at her drink too, then back up at Reno before shaking her head.

"No, I'm fine. I don't usually drink much."

Reno's grin widened.

"First time for everything. Besides, never turn down free drinks."

Tilar opened her mouth to speak, but Reno drained his glass and left before she could get the chance. Shaking her head with a smile, Tilar looked down at her glass and starred at the mouthful left in it as she sifted through her numerous new thoughts.

Finally having drained her glass, Tilar looked up with a smile when Reno at last sat back down across from her.

"About time." She said with a smile. "How long-"

But she paused in her sentence when she realized it wasn't Reno at all sitting across from her.

"Can I help you?" She asked a little irritably. She wasn't exactly a formal person, but she still had enough morals to think it was rude to just sit at a table with someone uninvited.

"Naw, just couldn't resist the opportunity to talk to such a pretty girl."

Tilar raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Well maybe you should learn to resist. And I'm no little girl."

The huge, hulking man smiled at her, a smile that may have been attractive had it not been for the greedy, hungry look he was giving her.

"Yea, I can see that, love. Why don't you come take a walk with me. I can show you the kind of entertainment your little boyfriend could only dream of."

Tilar felt her blood begin to boil.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's a colleague. And I'll be pretty desperate before I decide to spend my spare time with the likes of you."

The man gave Tilar a harsh glare.

"You otta watch your mouth lil' Missy. Could get you in a lot of trouble."

Tilar returned the glare just as intensely.

"I could say the same for you." She hissed back through clenched teeth. "Why don't you go find another girl your stupid lines might actually work on."

The man's glare intensified.

"You know, you're workin on my last nerve, love. Don't irritate me. You wouldn't want to make me angry."

Tilar raised her eyebrow again.

"I'm surprised you know such big words. Careful you don't choke on them."

Deciding she'd had enough, Tilar stood up in favor of finding out where Reno had gotten to.

"Where do you think you're goin? Did I say you could leave?"

Tilar looked at him with a withering stare.

"Do I look like I give a damn?" She replied angrily. The man smirked.

"I like you. You're my kinda bitch. And because I like you, I'm gonna invite you to have a drink with me."

"Thanks, and no thanks." Tilar replied sarcastically. But before she could move further, she felt something on each arm before she was roughly tugged back down in her seat.

"I didn't say you had a choice." The man growled huskily, an evil glint in his eyes. Tilar glared at him again, then turned it towards the two men each holding her down. After trying and failing to escape from them, she growled and turned back to their leader.

"Let me go." She hissed savagely. He merely smirked at her again.

"I don't think I will. I think I'll enjoy breaking you down."

Tilar scowled as he moved in to kiss her, but before he got the chance, she spit in his face.

Pulling back to glare at her, the man scowled.

"You ought not have done that!" He growled, and before Tilar could respond, he raised his hand and struck her across the face with enough force to split her lip and redden the entire left side of her face.

Tilar's head jerked to the side, and when she looked back at him again, her glare was more intense then ever.

"You think a little slap is gonna break me? You have no idea who I am or what I do everyday!"

The man's smirk turned malicious.

"Good girl. Be tough. That'll only make it more satisfying when I succeed."

He moved in again to kiss her and this time she couldn't escape. The two men holding her tightened their grip and the man about to kiss her held her face. She could feel her eyes stinging with tears as the man pressed his lips to hers. They weren't hurt tears or tears of fear or desperation, they were angry tears. She was angry at herself for being too helpless, weak and defenseless. For not being able to stop these men from touching her.

Vibrant green eyes burned into cold, black ones as the man who kissed Tilar pulled away from her with an arrogant smirk.

"Tears already? You're not so tough after all."

Tilar growled at him and angrily blinked back the tears in her eyes, refusing to let them fall. Her blood boiled as his hands found the front of her shirt and ripped it down the middle. She suddenly cursed herself for choosing a booth instead of out in the open.

"Mmmm... I don't usually like darker skin tones, I like the pale skin. Easier to see the bruises. I think I can handle this though, seeing as you have real nice skin. It's not too dark, and you'll still be able to see the bruises real good."

As if to demonstrate, he leaned down and bit down on her collarbone.

Tilar bit the side of her cheek to keep from crying out. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push the man off.

Tilar clenched her teeth as the man biting her suddenly pulled back. She opened her closed eyes and looked up to see Reno standing over the man, who was now laying unconscious on the floor. The look on his face was murderous as he turned his attention to the two still holding Tilar. They both let her go and one pulled a knife on Reno while the other one tried to escape.

Neither got very far.

Reno kicked the guy trying to escape in the back, temporarily paralyzing him. He then turned and disarmed the man with the knife a split second before the guy slashed his throat, and knocked him out too. Turning to finish the coward, Reno beat him to a bloody pulp before finally turning back to Tilar.

The redhead's anger immediately melted and his expression turned to one of extreme guilt.

"I'm so sorry Tilar!" He exclaimed, rushing over to her.

"What for?" Tilar asked angrily. "You didn't do anything. Other then lay them all out because I was too weak."

Reno frowned and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders - one he'd apparently had in his car before he'd come for her.

"I'm sorry because I shouldn't have left you alone around here... I should never have even taken you here."

"I'm not a child Reno." Tilar growled. Though she was beginning to feel like one. It was the second time the redhead had rescued her since meeting him and the thought drove her absolutely mental.

"I know that," Reno replied softly. "But I forgot about the mako treatments."

Tilar gave him a confused expression.

"The what?"

She knew what Mako was.. but treatments?

"The mako treatments." Reno replied. "All the TURKS and any of Rufus' active agents or field agents have it. You'll get it too soon but it slipped my mind that you haven't got it already... Mako is kinda like a steroid. It enhances a persons performance... kinda hard to explain but you'll learn later. Anyway, those idiots, somehow, had mako in their systems."

Reno laid a hand gently on Tilar's.

"You couldn't have beaten them no matter how strong or good you are, so don't beat yourself up over it. OK?"

Tilar thought about all this for a moment, then sighed and nodded, a deep frown on her face. Reno gave her a small smile.

"C'mon." He said softly. "Let's go."

Tilar nodded again and followed Reno out of the booth and out of the bar.


	5. The morning after

Reno opened the door to Tilar's apartment and followed her in. He lead her to the bathroom and lifted her by the waist up onto the counter. After riffling through the medicine cabinet for a minute, he finally found what he was looking for and turned back to Tilar.  
Tilar hissed, something that had nothing to do with the sting or pain for the disinfectant.  
"I can do it myself!" She growled, indicating the healing process Reno was issuing her.  
Ignoring her hostile tone, Reno continued cleaning her cuts and tending to her bruises.  
"I know you can." He replied calmly. "But ya know, sometimes it's OK to ask for help. Obviously you've been taught not to trust anyone and I can tell your life hasn't been easy on you -- mine hasn't been either so you're not alone -- but Tilar, things change and you gotta learn that not everyone is against you or out to hurt you. Believe it or not, some people really just wanna help."  
Tilar stayed quit during Reno's little speech and considered his words. Reno wasn't getting anything from helping her, he was showing off or trying to prove he was smarter or stronger or greater than her in any way. He was gaining nothing at all from helping her. The only answer was; he was indeed only trying to help. This made an uncomfortable, unfamiliar feeling wash over her; one that wasn't overly nice, but wasn't quite unwelcome either.  
Tilar sighed and relaxed, finally deciding to give in. Reno had won this round.

Reno smiled when he saw Tilar finally relax. This was good. He could tell how hard it was for her to trust people, and after being out with him for the first time, and experiencing what she had, it was a wonder she would ever trust anyone again. But she did. Admittedly, she'd have to learn this, even a little,if they were to work together. But he was still surprised she had given in so quickly.  
Brushing his thoughts aside, Reno finished his job and cleaned up the extra mess. When that was done, he again turned back to Tilar with a smile.  
"Ya know, you're allowed to show weaness sometimes, it's not good to keep everything in." He then gave her a playful look. "You just better not cry. I hate it when women cry."  
Tilar frowned deeply.  
"You have no worries about that." She said solemnly. "Tears are worthless and don't solve anything."  
Tilar then turned away from Reno and looked down.  
"I've cried too many and it didn't do anything..." She whispered softly. "And it certainly doesn't bring lost ones back."  
Reno took one look at Tilar's face and nearly kicked himself.  
_"What is it about this girl that gets me so bad?!"_ He thought in frustration.  
He tilted his head to look into Tilar's face and did his best to meet her gaze.  
"Maybe not, but everyone needs some comefort."  
Tilar looked at him and opened her mouth, but Reno's next action stopped her words in her throat.  
Reno wrapped his arms tightly around Tilar and hugged her tight. Her response was immediate as her entire body tensed. Reno hugged her tighter.  
"It's OK." He whispered gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
Tilar hesitated but eventually relaxed and closed her eyes. She wasn't quite ready to return Reno's "comfort" but she was willing to try to accept his. And surprisingly, she found that she felt perhaps a little too comfortable in his arms.

Reno held Tilar for a long time, long enough to make sure he had helped ease at least a little of her pain and show her he was really on her side. Finally he pulled away from her and looked into her face.  
"Do you wanna do something else?... Since my plans were ruined?"  
Tilar shook her head.  
"No. I'd rather just stay here."  
Without another word, Tilar got up and headed to the bedroom. After changing into something comfortable, she walked back out to the living room, to where Reno had relocated, and handed him back his jacket.  
"There are some good movies on." Reno said before Tilar could speak. "If you want, I can stay and watch one with you. I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone after the kinda night you've had."  
Tilar didn't need to think about it.  
"I'll be fine." She replied indifferently. "All I need is a little sleep."  
Reno's face fell slightly and he looked terribly disappointed, though he obviously tried very hard to hide it. Tilar noticed immediately however and knew that the only reason she'd recognised the emotion was because she'd often seen it on TJ's face. When they were always on the move, it was easy to disappoint the child.  
Reno stood up and gave her a smile that was obviously forced.  
"OK, if you're sure. I guess I'll see you tomorrow.... We have a meeting in the morning. Goodnight."

Tilar cocked her head to one side as she watched Reno walk reluctantly to the door. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why the man wanted to stay so badly, but without a doubt, he did. With a heavy sigh, Tilar straightened her head and called after him.  
"Reno?"  
Reno stopped and looked back at her.  
"Yea?"  
"I'm not really very tired yet so I suppose a movie would be ..... nice."  
Reno smiled brightly and walked back to her.  
"Good choice. You shouldn't have trouble finding one you like."  
"Why don't you pick one." Tilar said. Reno smiled again.  
"Sure."

Tilar starred at the screen as she watched the images flash by. She wasn't really interested in the movie, but didn't care enough to voice this opinion either. It wasn't until the two were a good ways into the movie that Tilar noticed something.  
Reno had steadily gotten closer to her. She rolled her eyes and scooted away from him, a silent suggestion that he stay in his own space. It was a long time before he tried anything else, but eventually Reno moved a little closer. Again Tilar moved. Throughout the movie, the redhead continued to make various little advances (although innocent), and Tilar found herself steadily growing irritated. Finally she had been pushed against the opposite side of the couch as far as she could go. Reno subtly slipped an arm around her shoulders and with an irritated sigh, Tilar decided to give him his own way and let him keep it there -- she was too tired and weary to argue again.  
Reno was obviously very happy with her decision and Tilar had to roll her eyes.

Tilar ignored Reno for the rest of the night and continued to watch the movie. It wasn't until the movie was almost over that she realized just how tired she really was. She tried to stay awake as long as she could, but eventually exhaustion claimed her and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Tilar awoke bright and early to find that her pillow -- though rather comfortable -- was very hard. Looking down at it, her eyes widened to see that it looked very much like a person. Her eyes trailed up the length of it and widened more than ever to see that, just as she'd thought, her pillow was her new fellow employee.  
Tilar hastily jumped away from Reno and felt her cheeks flush.  
"Oh Gods! I'm so sorry! I guess I didn't realize how tired I was last night..."  
Reno smiled, obviously not bothered by the fact at all, and waved a hand dismissively.  
"Don't worry about it. You went through a lot."  
Obviously sensing her discomfort, Reno changed the subject.  
"So, how about breakfast?"  
Tilar tilted her head to one side.  
"What about it?"  
Reno smiled again.  
"Do you want breakfast?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Tilar nearly smacked her head from her stupidity.  
"Oh." Tilar replied, shaking her head. "Right. Well... yes I suppose. But there's nothing here."  
Reno stood up from the couch and walked over to the phone.  
"Not yet. Go and get ready for the meeting. By the time you're done, your breakfast will be too."  
Tilar starred at Reno for a moment, then stood up and walked to her room to do as he said.

After half an hour or so, Tilar emerged from the bathroom and walked into the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to go.  
Reno turned to look at Tilar as she sat down at a stool in front of the island.  
"Wow." He said, sounding impressed. "That's the fastest I've ever seen a woman get ready. Guess I underestimated you. Your breakfast is almost ready."  
Tilar nodded and noticed the open cupboards, now all jam-packed with what looked like expensive, good food. She bit her lip and looked back at Reno.  
"How much do I owe you for all that?" She asked him.  
Reno turned to look at her, followed her gaze to the food, then looked back at her with an odd look.  
"You don't owe me anything." He said with an amused smile. "We get our groceries for free. It's an agreement Shinra has with a few companies. In exchange for our protection and aid if it's needed, we get our food for free -- along with some other stuff too."  
"Oh." Tilar said again. She indeed had a lot to learn.

Finally, after another ten or fifteen minutes, Reno walked away from the stove and over to the island, carrying a huge tray full of food. Tilar's eyes bugged at the sight of it all.  
"I can't eat all of this myself!" She exclaimed in shock.  
Reno smiled at her.  
"You're gonna have to. I gotta go get ready myself and I've already eaten. Besides, judging by the size of you, it wouldn't hurt you to eat something."  
Tilar swallowed hard and looked at all the food. She knew she'd never be able to eat it all herself and it seemed like such a waste. Obviously, she knew what she'd be eating for the rest of her meals throughout the day.  
Tilar looked back up at Reno and starred at him.  
"Thank you." She said gratefully. "You really didn't have t do this."  
Reno smiled again and nodded.  
"Don't worry about it. I gotta go so I'll see you at the meeting.... There's a special room for meetings, you know where it is right?"  
Tilar blinked at him and Reno laughed.  
"Never mind. I'll be back in half an hour or so and I'll show you."  
Tilar sighed, feeling utterly useless.  
"Thank you.... again."  
As if reading her mind, Reno smiled one last time and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Don't worry, you're new here. You'll catch on to everything soon enough and before long you won't need me or anybody."  
Tilar liked that idea, and the thought made her smile slightly.  
"I hope so." She replied. Reno nodded.  
"You will." He then turned and headed for the door. "Anyway, I'll see you in a bit."  
Tilar turned back to her food with a sigh. She knew she wouldn't eat it all, but she was sure as hell going to eat as much as she could.

* * *

Reno appeared a half an our later, just like he'd said. Together, the two walked to the meeting room and Tilar forced herself to remember the way, confident she could find it on her own next time.  
When they reached the room, Reno pushed the door open and walked in, followed closely by Tilar.  
"Morning." Tseng said politely. Then he gave a small smile. "I do believe this is the first time you've ever been on time Reno."  
Reno smiled and brushed it off.  
"Haha, laugh it up. Now that the important one is here, let's get this things started."  
"That's right, Tilar is here now, so we can start." Elena said with a grin. Reno gave her an unamused look.  
"Haha." He said again, though a little more sarcastic this time. The others laughed and Tilar could tell immediately that it was a healthy environment. It was going to be nice working here.

Tilar looked around the room. Rude was standing by the window in a statue-like position with his hands behind his back, Tseng was sitting at a long meeting table with his hands folded in front of his face, Elena was sitting on top of the table and Reno was now leaning casually against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Other then herself and them, there wasn't another soul in the room.  
"So, what is this meeting supposed to be about?" Tilar asked.  
Tseng sat up straight.  
"We're here to introduce you to everything about your new job; what exactly the TURKS are all about, what it is you'll be doing, the rules, what will be expected of you, etcetera. We'll also be going over a few past cases -- achieved and failed -- to give you an idea of things we deal with, how we handled it, ways you should or should not handle missions should you be put in that situation, etcetera. This is what we have been assigned to do by Mr. President while he's away. Each of us are here to insert our own input and give you a little piece of our knowledge and experience. Understood?"  
Tilar nodded.  
"Yes."  
Tseng nodded too.  
"Alright then, let's get started."

* * *

Tilar sat back and sighed. Finally, after long hours, the meeting was finally over and she felt she thoroughly knew everything there possibly was to know about the TURKS -- past, present and future. The only thing left to do was actually train and go over real-life scenarios.  
"You did very good Tilar." Tseng praised. "You asked lots of questions, made sure you understood everything before moving on, and you proved to us that you will be a valuable asset to our organization. I'm proud to call you one of us."  
Tilar actually gave a small smile and shook Tseng's extended hand.  
"Thank you." She replied. Rude and Elana followed Tseng's welcome and praise and Tilar felt greatly honoured. She didn't even feel offended when Reno didn't join in, because Reno had already praised her and said so much the night before -- before everything went AWOL.

After the business was all taken care of, Tseng suddenly gave a small smirk and looked at both Tilar and Reno.  
"Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, I've got to ask something that's been on my mind."  
Tilar raised an eyebrow and Reno looked a little confused.  
"What's that?" She asked emotionlessly.  
"I believe you two spent the night together didn't you? Not to mention the fact that you both arrived together this morning. Rather comfortable with each other already aren't you?"  
This time Tilar was confused and Reno smirked.  
"Well can you blame us. I mean, someone that good looking is hard to resist. And with someone like me, well, it's impossible."  
"Is that so?" Elana asked with a smirk. "Funny, I had no trouble resisting you when I joined. And something tells me Tilar didn't either."  
Tilar finally realized what was going on and rolled her eyes.  
"I didn't." She replied bluntly, shooting an unamused glare at Reno for even daring to imply that anything had happened between them. "We went out for drinks last night and Reno showed me here this morning. Yes, he stayed at my apartment because we were watching a movie and I fell asleep, and for some reason, he was still there when I woke up. Other than that, nothing happened. Don't flatter yourself too much Reno."  
Reno frowned as his fellow TURKS laughed at his expense, his bubble having been thoroughly burst.  
"Gee Reno, you were right." Elena said through fits of laughter. "I can tell she had such a hard time resisting you!"  
Reno scowled at her and Tilar simply rolled her eyes again.  
"Anyway, this has been fun." She said sarcastically. "But if we're done here and there's nothing else for me to do for the rest of the day, I'm going to go back to Seventh Heaven. I want to check on my brother so I'll be there if anyone needs me."  
"Tilar."  
Tilar stopped walking and looked over her shoulder, then turned and caught the item Tseng tossed at her. Looking down at her hands, she saw that it was a small computer of some sort.  
"Keep that with you at all times." Tseng told her. "It's a cross-device. It'll act as a cellphone, hand-held computer, GPS, beeper; whatever you need it to be. Just keep it with you."  
Tilar nodded and gave Tseng a small bow.  
"I will."  
She then turned and left the room.

When Tilar was gone, Elena turned to Reno with a grin.  
"Aw, gee Reno, looks like your loosing your touch."  
"Yea." Rude finally piped up. "That's the first time you ever stayed with a girl all night without doing anything isn't it?"  
Reno scowled at them as they all laughed again.  
"I didn't try!" He countered angrily. "She wouldn't have been able to resist me if I'd tried!"  
This made the others laugh harder.  
"You wish!" Elena spat through her laughter. "She wouldn't have slept with you anyway!"  
"Don't think so? Well I know she would!" Reno replied angrily. Elena stopped laughing and set her face with a smirk, her eyes gleaming challengingly.  
"Really? How much are you willing to bet on that hot shot?"  
"Name your price." Reno hissed.  
Soon there were bets flying around the room and three TURKS laughing once again at Reno's expense.

Eventually, after finally having enough of his fellow employee's torment, Reno stormed out of the meeting room, vowing to make Tilar fall for him. As he slammed the door shut behind him, he fumed at the raucous laughter and bets they immediately made, guessing how long it would be before Tilar got fed up with him and kicked his ass.


	6. Tilar's First Mission

**A/N:** So, I know it took forever, but here's the next chapter for Crimson and Darkness. Not sure if anyone is reading this but the next one SHOULD be out in a few days *crosses fingers*. Anyway, I know this one is short but there are a lot of chapters to this story. Again, this doesn't leave off where the last one ended, there's kinda space between, like I warned you of in the beginning and from now on most of it will be like that. Hope you like this new addition and hopefully you keep liking it.  
Oh, btw: I tried this new layout rather then the one I've been using. Hope it's better and easier to read.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FF or any of the characters.

* * *

Tilar growled to herself as her helicopter crashed once again. She took the helmet off her head and tossed it to the side with a vengeance.

"Damned machines!!" She cursed at the simulator, though she knew that it was entirely her own fault. For all her skills and talents, Tilar simply couldn't fly a chopper for the life of her. And that was that.

Tilar heaved a heavy sigh and starred at the simulation gear shift in front of her.  
"This is going to take forever." She mumbled moodily.

Where most people may have given up long ago on the subject, especially considering she didn't have to know how to fly a helicopter, Tilar was bent on perfecting it -- she simply figured it might take a little while.

"How about some pointers?"

Tilar turned to the side to see Reno standing there with his hands in his pockets. She chewed her cheek for a minute, wanting desperately to say no, that she could do it herself. But deep down, Tilar knew she needed help and although learning probably wasn't impossible, it was likely to be much swifter and simpler with help. So, with a heavy sigh, Tilar gave a small nod.

"Just a few..." She mumbled reluctantly.

Reno gave Tilar a small nod and removed his hands from his pockets. She sighed again and looked forward, but her eyes widened in shock when the red-head situated himself directly behind her. Tilar opened her mouth to speak but Reno beat her to it.

"Put the helmet back on." He instructed calmly.

Tilar swallowed hard and forced back the slight, uncomfortable, warm sensation in her cheeks and the pit of her stomach. She leaned over and picked up the helmet from the ground, putting it immediately on her head like she was instructed.

"Good. Now, get comfortable and relax; that's important."

Tilar nodded and again did as he said -- as best as she could at least considering her current situation. When she was finally ready and relaxed, Reno surprised her once more, making her tense up all over again.

"I said relax." Reno said softly, his chest pressed to her back as he spoke over her shoulder. Tilar took a deep breath and attempted to force herself to relax, though it proved much more difficult this time due to the fact that she wasn't used to anyone being this close to her, save TJ, and also because there was an excessively uncomfortable feeling once again bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

Eventually, Tilar closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again she forced herself to relax and nod once more. Reno took Tilar's hands then and wrapped them around the gear shift. Tilar managed to brush this off but had a hard time ignoring the fact that Reno's hands remained cupped over hers. At that point she scolded herself angrily.

"Stupid woman!" She though angrily. "Grow up! You're acting like some frightened school girl! You're a professional, act like it!"

Tilar sat up straight in her seat and lifted her head proudly in the air, forcing herself to blank her mind.

"OK. What now?" She she asked confidently.

Reno started the simulator up and replaced his hands over hers.

"I'm going to take you through this step by step. We'll start off with the basics, then work our way up to something more intense. Depending on how you do, I might show you the more extreme levels. Those are simulations of the most dangerous missions we might, or have faced. Got it?"

Tilar nodded again.

"Got it."

"OK, let's go."

* * *

Tilar took a long, deep breath. She was positioned all alone in the pilot seat of one of Shinra's most important, well armoured and well off helicopters. Still, despite those facts, she was still -- for the first time in her life -- scared shitless.

"You ready to go Ty?"

Tilar nodded, but quickly realizing her partner couldn't actually see her, she swallowed and responded to the blonde woman.

"Yea, I'm ready."

Tilar scowled to herself when she realized her voice shook slightly.

There was a slight pause from the opposite end before Elena's voice could be heard again.

"Nervous?" She asked kindly.

Tilar debated on saying no, but she knew it was pointless so instead gave a small sigh.

"A little." She replied grudgingly. A new voice was then heard.

"It's alright to be a little nervous Tilar."

Tilar couldn't help but smile at her employer.

"From what I understand, Reno taught you well. You'll do fine Tilar. I know you will. And remember, this is only your first mission. No one does perfect on their first mission."

Tilar nodded, more to herself then Rufus.

"Yes sir..... Thank you."

"Sure."

That single word was all Rufus said before Elena's voice was heard again.

"Alright! Let's get this party started!"

* * *

"Yeehaw!"

Tilar smiled from ear to ear as Elena's voice filtered through the speakers. The big, green helicopters she'd blow up belonged to a special attack force whom had threatened and attempted sabotage against Shinra. Shinra's TURKS had tried to reason with them but it had not ended well. Therefor, Tilar had been sent in to eliminate the threat. As she watched the debris of the final chopper plummet to the ground, she couldn't help but feel immensely proud of herself. So it had taken her a while, that was OK; she'd done alright in the end.

"Well done Tilar." Rufus' voice said, sounding very proud. "Turn that bird around and come back home."

Tilar smiled proudly.

"Yes sir."

Tilar did as she was told and let the chopper tilt on it's side as she set her course for home.

* * *

Reno smirked from his spot nearby his fellow employees. He was sitting on a chair in the conference room with the others while they all watched a huge screen on the back wall. Thanks to Rude and his special talents, they had a clear visual of Tilar. He had stealthily gone into the field earlier that morning and set up cameras all along Tilar's route so they could monitor her progress.

The redhead leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as his hands found their way around his head. Sure, the woman had talents and she seemed to be able to do virtually anything; but she was sure as hell no pilot before he'd gotten to her. Yes, a big part of her success in this mission had definitely been thanks to him -- He'd brag about it later.

"Looks like there's nothing that girl can't do." Elana said in awe.

Rufus watched the screen thoughtfully.

"No, she said it herself, there's much she can't do and isn't good at. She's certainly not the greatest pilot we've got, though she did well enough. Still, it's obvious she's going to be a valuable asset to this team."

Reno smirked.

"Yea, but there's still no pilot alive to match the skills of your truly, man or woman."

The others rolled their eyes playfully.

"Yea, yea. Kudos to you hot shot." Elana said playfully. "Looks like you're a pretty good teacher to... too bad your aim's the shits."

Reno opened one eye to give the blonde a mock scowl, then closed his eye again when she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yea, well-"

Reno jumped and his chair landed abruptly on four legs as an earth-shattering boom was heard from the screen. All eyes shot back to the wall and starred in horror as the camera they were currently viewing was clouded in smoke.

"Tilar!" Reno screamed in panic.

Rufus grabbed a lap top on the conference room table and pressed a few buttons to switch cameras. It took them a while to find one that wasn't either clouded, still worked or showed Tilar at all, but when they did, all five faces paled a few shades.

Their big black choper was no longer alone and looked like it had just been through world war three. But worst of all, Tilar was being tailed by a huge green chopper twice the size of hers and apparently much more armored.

"I thought she had them all?" Reno yelled in a panic, now fully awake and on his feet. "There were only suppose ed to be thirteen! You said there were only thirteen!"

Rude ignored Reno's angry accusation and finger pointed at him and focused on the screen.

"That one wasn't there before." The bulky man said solemnly. "They must have had it in reserve."

Reno fumed.

"She can't handle that on her own! She'll be killed! Someone needs to go help her!!"

Rufus frowned deeply.

"No, she can't. But there's not much we can do. Tilar took this mission knowing the consequences. We can't risk another agent Reno. You've all had your solitary missions and had to manage alone, now she'll have to do the same."

Reno gaped at him in furry.

"Do you hear yourself?!" He yelled furiously. "She'll DIE!"

Rufus remained silent.

After looking around at his conrads who all remained silent and somber, refusing to look at him, Reno growled in fury and bolted for the door.

"Reno!" Rufus called but Reno didn't stop, and in seconds he was gone.

"Do you want me to bring him back sir?" Tseng asked.

Rufus starred at the door for a moment, then turned back to the screen with a straight face.

"No, let him go. If Reno wants to do this then that's his choice. Besides, if anyone can help her, it's him.... he's probably the only one who can."

* * *

White teeth gritted together as bullets, smoke and flame filled the air. Reno's eyes scanned for his conrad but amidst the smoke and debris, the black chopper was no where to be found.

"Where is she?!" The redhead demanded into his mic.

"Three blocks south on the west side." Came Elena's voice, a slight crack interrupting her words. But Reno was in no state to comfort her, only one thing was on his mind as he turned his chopper around and followed the blonde's directions.

It only took him seconds to find what he was looking for and his heart went up into his throat.

"The hawk can't take much more!" He exclaimed more to himself then anyone else.

The words were barely out of his mouth when the worst possible thing imaginable happened -- Tilar's chopper burst into flames.

"NO!!" Reno screamed in horror.

He watched as the mass of smoke and flame pummeled to the ground and hit with a mighty explosion. Tears of both pain and anger stung his eyes as his face shot up to glare daggers at the massive green chopper. Without awaiting instructions or permission, Reno turned on the gigantic machine and fired. The missile he fired struck seconds later and caused the smaller black chopper to hurtle backwards from the blast. It was all Reno could do to keep the mechanical bird in the air. When all was set straight, Reno cleared his throat and forced back his tears, a terrible sickening feeling gurgling in the pit of his stomach. As the master pilot turned his chopper around, he couldn't remember ever feeling so sick in his entire life.

"I'm coming home guys." He said into his mic, his voice cracking with the effort and left-over emotion.

"Reno..." Rufus said softly. "I.... I'm sorry."

Reno growled angrily and reached to switch off the connection when both Tseng and Elena's voices came loud through the speaker.

"RENO!"

But before they could say anything else, Reno spun the chopper back around. He saw it too.

Hanging on to a demolished building for dear life, looking like that wasn't going to be possible for much longer, was Tilar. Finally her grip let go and she fell, but fortunately Reno was quick enough. The chopper tipped to the side, causing Tilar to fall into the open door and land with a sickening smack into the inside of the cabin.

Reno looked back at the obviously unconscious woman and didn't register the hoots and cheers coming through his speaker. She looked awful and as if she was barely hanging on. The feeling in his stomach worsened as he flew back to headquarters as fast as possible. He wanted nothing more then to go back and check on her and make sure she survived, but knowing it wasn't possible, he had to settle for getting her back as soon as his skills and chopper could manage.

* * *

Tilar awoke to a killer headache and a white-hot pain through-out her entire body. Blinking away the blurriness in her vision, she looked above her to see her new fellow employees and employer starring down at her worriedly. She was laid out on her own bed in her own room and her eyelids seemed to be the only things she could move without causing herself unbearable pain.

"How do you feel?" Elena asked softly.

"I feel like shit." Tilar replied with a rough voice.

Elena held a glass of water by her head and placed a straw to her lips, somehow knowing she wouldn't be able to move for it. Tilar gave her a grateful, albeit embarrassed look and slowly sipped the water. Beside her, Reno couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"Now, how do you know what shit feels like?" He asked seriously, though his eyes were playful and teasing.

Tilar glared at him as she sipped her water and when she stopped she gave him an unamused look but said nothing on the subject.

"How long was I out?" She asked, ignoring the red-head for the time being.

"Four days." Tseng said evenly. Tilar frowned.

"That long. I must have hindered you so much."

Elena smiled kindly.

"Don't be silly. You were no trouble at all. Besides, we haven't really had much to do since then so it really wasn't a big deal."

Tilar closed her eyes, feeling utterly embarrassed and useless.

"I should never accepted a mission I wasn't ready for..... And I knew I wasn't ready for it. I'm very sorry."

Rufus moved from his spot on the wall and stood beside Tilar's bedside. He knelt down beside her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder as he finally spoke for the first time since she'd awaken.

"It was your first mission Tilar." He said softly. "No one saw that chopper and had it been any one else, they'd still be in the same situation. No one blames you and no one can say they would have done better. You did very well Tilar and I'm very proud of myself for hiring you. I'm just glad you're still alive."

Tilar's heart lightened at rufus' playful words and blinked at him gratefully. She still felt horribly embarrassed and unworthy but she also knew that none of them were angry with her. The mission had been a success, no matter the outcome, and that was what mattered.

"You need your rest and I don't want to see you out of this bed until you're fully healed." Rufus smirked when he said this. "That's certainly going to try you isn't it?"

Tilar snorted at the rhetorical question. She had no intention of staying in bed and told herself she'd be up again as soon as she was physically able, never mind the pain.

Rufus and the rest of the TURKS, save Reno, all said a few words of comfort and left Tilar alone. When everyone else was gone, Reno relinquished his spot against the wall and walked over to her bed to sit by her.

"You know, you might be a pain in the ass, but you sure are one tough bastard."

Reno's smile was infectious and Tilar felt the corner of her lip curl ever so slightly.

"They tell me you're the best." She whispered roughly, angry at herself for not being able to manage much more. "Considering the circumstances, I don't think anyone but the best could have pulled off a ...... rescue-"

Tilar winced, the pain of admitting that she'd needed such a thing being much worse then the physical pain. Eventually, after a lengthy pause, Tilar continued.

"I don't think anyone else could have pulled off a rescue mission like that.... I guess that means that you-"

Again Tilar paused, unable to admit the truth. Deciding on a different approach she continued again.

"That you were the other pilot."

Against all her expectations, Reno made no cocky or snide remarks, he simply gave her the faintest of smiles and nodded.

"That'll be me." He said gently. "The stupid one always rushing into things."

"Yea, well, if you hadn't rushed into it, I probably wouldn't still be here. So, thank....... thank you."

Tilar turned away from Reno to scowl at the wall. She didn't mind giving thanks where thanks was due, but in her lifetime, not many people had earned it from her. As a result, it wasn't always easy to say and sometimes took a while. However, despite the admittance of gratitude, she was loathe to admit that she had been, for the first time in her life, insufficient and had needed help with something that should have been so simple.

Somehow, Reno knew Tilar's thoughts and how she felt and didn't have to refrain from any of his usual comments as none came to mind. Instead, he was a little surprised and greatly flattered that Tilar had spoken the words she had. He rightly suspected that few people had ever heard them uttered from her mouth and figured he'd better not get used to such things.

"No problem. What's family for?"

Tilar's eyes widened and snapped back to Reno. There it was again, that word.

"Family..." She whispered, barely audible.

Reno looked at her in surprise for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"That's right, family. That what you are now, part of our family."

Reno sat back then and stretched. When he straightened, he looked at Tilar with a grin, one she wasn't so sure she liked the meaning of.

"Well, looks like you're stuck here for a while." Reno said cheerfully. "So whatcha wanna do? We got checkers, we got chess -- which I royally suck at by the way -- and we got uh... lets see.. I think there's a pack of cards around here somewhere.... One in my room anyway."

"Neither. I'm gonna sleep for a while and then I'm going to get up in the morning and get on with my life."

Reno's grin widened until it threatened to crack his face.

"Nope! Considering you broke just about every bone in your body, managed to burn and bruise pretty much every inch of flesh and are too stubborn for a body cast, you're gonna be stuck here for a few weeks. Maybe even months! I suppose they'll give you something to make you heal faster, but even the strongest potion will at least take a few weeks to finish. So! What'll it be? Checkers or cards?"

Tilar groaned loudly and thrust her head back into the pillow. Weeks in bed? Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to have been killed in the explosion.

"Somebody kill me...."


	7. Mission To Mission

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter. Believe it or not, this was supposed to be three chapters but I combined them into once cause they weren't as long as I thought they were gonna be. Anyway, sorry if you think it's a little boring and/or rushed, I was trying to get these things out of the way so i could move on. The next chapter (I think) is a lot better. Hope you like this one anyway.  
Oh, BTW, I have no idea how special agents or w/e talk on missions so i decided to wing it. Hope I did OK. XD lol.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own final Fantasy of any of the characters.

* * *

"Damnit! What a terrible time for a phone call!"

"So don't answer it!"

"I gotta. Curiosity was always one of my weaker points."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Yea well, if things don't soon look up we might soon be dead and these could be my final words anyway!"

Among the exchange of words and heavy gunfire outside, Elena switched on the speakerphone of her cellphone, strapped precariously to the dashboard of the car she was driving.

"Speak damnit or forever hold your peace!"

A familiar voice filtered through the speaker as Elena swerved from yet another missile.

"You haven't lost them yet?" Reno asked, a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

"We're not trying to lose them!" Tilar growled from her spot out the window. "And considering we used to have six following us, I think we're doing pretty good!"

"How many are there now?" Reno asked curiously. Elena laughed lightly.

"Just the one. But it's been a bitch to shake it off. Apparently these guys are better then their partners were!"

Elena looked over at Tilar, who was hanging out the window firing at their pursuers.

"Ty's doing OK though. All I've gotta do is drive and keep our asses from getting hit, she does the rest."

"Yea, and if you don't shut your mouth and drive, we might soon find that my aim just isn't cutting it."

Reno and Elena laughed and the blonde swerved away from danger yet again. Tilar wasn't the only one with talents and at that moment, the TURKS were showing the world just that.

"Looks like her first mission will be completely forgotten about after this one." Reno said casually. "Five jeeps in under twenty minutes, that's gotta be a record."

"Considering the circumstances," Elena said carefully. "I'd say so!"

Suddenly there was a thump next to her and Elena took a quick glance at Tilar to see what had happened. She had to force back a scream when she saw only Tilar's legs still inside the car, the rest of her body hanging limply against the door outside.

"Tilar!" Elena yelled in worry. Reno's voice came through the speakers in a panic and the two yelled at each other back and forth trying to think of what to do.

"Shut up! I'm not dead!"

Elena and Reno fell silent.

"You're not?" Elena asked aloud, completely stunned. "What are you doing?"

"Ever hear of playing dead?" Came Tilar's seemingly far away, sarcastic reply. "If they think I'm dead they'll avert their aim and I'll have a clear shot at the driver."

Elena beamed as she caught on, ignoring Reno's voice as it continued to filter through the speaker.

Just as Tilar had said, their pursuers averted their fire to try and hit Elena, who easily dodged their attacks. When she was sure she could take out the jeep in one hit, Tilar quickly sat up and fired. The hit the driver dead between the eyes, causing him to fall forward on the steering wheel. Without a driver, the vehicle swerved to the side and hit a giant tree in their path, making the jeep explode into a magnificent display of flame and debris.

"Wooo Hoo! Like to see a man do that!" Elena cheered proudly.

Tilar climbed back in and gave Elena a small, rare smile as she returned the blonde's high-five. She'd felt so terrible about her first mission that she had insisted that she and Elena take this one; the first one that came up as soon as she was better. Rufus had agreed and Tilar set out with the determination to make up for her last mission and prove that she was in fact the valuable asset that they had hired her to be. Now she'd done just that.

* * *

Tilar looked up from her cleaning and glanced at the blinking light on her cell phone. The only people who knew her cell number were Rufus, Elena, Cloud and Tifa and her brother, TJ. Picking it up, Tilar turned it on and spoke a quick greeting. She smiled when she heard her brother's voice.

"Hey sis, how's work?"

Tilar put her gun and cloth down and laid back on her bed.

"It's alright. I went on another mission today."

"And? Did you win? You didn't hurt yourself again did you?"

Tilar smiled at her little brother's concern and looked over at a picture of the two of them beside her bed.

"No, I didn't hurt myself again, and yes, we won. We did very good actually. My new partner and I are a very good team... we all are."

"Cool!" TJ said enthusiastically. "How about Reno? Are you gonna take him for a visit again soon?"

Tilar rolled her eyes. She didn't know what the boy saw in the redhead but he seemed to like Reno. Because of this, she sometimes took Reno along when she went to see TJ and the others. The two were getting closer and it made Tilar happy to know there was a male in his life who could teach him things and help him. Sure, there was Cloud too, but he was gone most of the time. So between the blonde and redhead, TJ had a lot to learn from. He was doing OK.

"Maybe next time T. If he's not busy. You've gotta stop bugging him OK? He's got work to do too and I don't want you getting in his way. Understand?"

"I know." TJ replied happily. "But I'm not bothering him. He calls here sometimes, and he even gave me his cell phone and apartment number and said I could call him whenever I wanted! He dropped by here last week too and gave me this really cool materia. It's supposed to make you faster or something I think."

Tilar's mouth dropped in shock. Visits on his own? Prized materia? His _cell phone_ number? Why was Reno being so kind to TJ? Even Tilar didn't have Reno's cell phone number.

Tilar shook her head and turned her attention back to TJ.

"That's... that's great T. I'm glad you guys are getting along so well. But I'm telling you though; I know Reno said you could call anytime, but I don't want you calling his cell unless it's an emergency and you absolutely can't get a hold of me. OK? Reno's very busy and you calling at the wrong time could mean jeopardising his mission, or even getting him killed. You understand?"

There was silence for a while until finally TJ answered.

"OK. I understand."

Tilar nodded to herself. She wasn't sure why Reno had taken to her little brother so much so quickly, but it really didn't matter. She did, however, know that TJ understood, more then any thirteen-year old should, about death and the importance of stealth and a successful mission. It was sad, but painfully true.

"Anyway." Tilar said after a long silence, brushing her thoughts away for the time being. "I have a feeling there was a reason you called other then to see how Reno and I were doing."

"Well, yea... there is."

Tilar smiled, picturing her little brother in her mind looking away from her and fidgeting sheepishly.

"I wanted to ask you if you could take Marlene and me somewhere tomorrow."

Tilar sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry buddy, but I can't. Mr. President has a press conference tomorrow and Elena and I have to go with him."

"Can't you trade with Reno or Rude or someone?" TJ asked in disappointment.

"No." Tilar said gently. "Reno and Rude are off tomorrow and Tseng has to do something else. There's no one else.... What about Cloud or Tifa?"

"They're both busy tomorrow too." TJ said sullenly. Tilar frowned.

"I'm sorry buddy, next time OK?"

"What's the matter with that president guy anyway, is he a wimp?" TJ asked, a little miffed. "He's supposed to be the president of some big, huge, assassin thingy and he can't even guard himself against some press? Come on!"

Tilar couldn't help but laugh.

"He's not a wimp T, and he's more then capable of defending himself against people a lot more dangerous then the press. But we have to go to help him. He needs us there for more then protection, it's our job."

TJ sighed heavily but finally gave up.

"Fine. I guess I understand.... but I miss you Ty. We don't hang around much anymore..."

Tilar's heart lurched.

"I know T, I miss you too. Like I said, next time OK? I'll come out again on my next day off, I promise. Deal?"

"Deal." TJ said half-heartedly. "Anyway, Tifa says supper is getting cold so I'll talk to you later Ty."

"OK. Night T."

"Night sis."

Tilar closed her phone and starred at the ceiling. Her brother and her had always been so close, but now that they lived so far apart and what with her new job, they didn't see each other as much as they would have liked. Still, it was bound to happen sooner or later and Tilar knew that one way or another, they had to learn to live without each other.

With a heavy sigh, Tilar sat up and picked up her gun. As much as she'd rather be there for her brother, she had a job to do and that, unfortunately, came first.

* * *

"Are you sure it's OK? I thought Tilar said to wait until she was off work?"

"Yea, but who know when that'll be. She might not get another day off for weeks. Besides, I still have my bike and I know how to fight too, so we'll be safe. Come on."

Marlene followed TJ out to his bike a little uncertainly. He got on confidently and made room for her behind him. Once they were both ready, TJ started his bike and sped off.

* * *

Cloud looked at the clock on the wall, then around at the empty bar room. Tifa was closed this morning for a clean up day so there were no customers, but still it was too quiet. He knew Denzel was gone camping or something with a few of his other friends, but Marlene and TJ were nowhere to be found.

Walking up the stairs, Cloud found Tifa in one of the rooms at the top on the phone. She ended the call when she saw him and looked at him with worried eyes.

"TJ and Marlene are gone... I don't know where they are."

Cloud frowned and looked around at the open and empty rooms.

"What do you mean gone? Where did they go?"

Tifa shook her head.

"I don't know. I tried to get a hold of Tilar but there's no answer..."

Cloud turned around and headed back down the stairs.

"I'll find them." He called solemnly over his shoulder.

A few minutes later, a big, black motorbike was speeding away from Seventh heaven in search of two small children.

* * *

"Marlene, Run!"

The little brunette girl ran and hid behind a tree as two big men and one huge one approached TJ. The little boy glared at them with clenched fists.

"That's a nice bike you got there kid." The biggest man said with an evil grin. "I think I'd like to take her for a little spin."

"Over my dead body!"

The men all laughed and the first man walked up to TJ, cracking his knuckles.

"That won't be nessissary Kid. But if you're not gonna share, I just might have to be a little forceful."

Cloud spotted them from nearly a mile away. He poured on speed as he approached the small group and growled in anger at the scene before him.

"Is that how you make yourself feel better?" Cloud scowled in disgust once he was in front of them. "Beating up on little kids? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The huge man laughed and turned from TJ to the blonde man now beside him.

"Well I would, but all I see is two little boys and one scared little girl. Since I don't beat up little girls, you'll have to do."

With a deep scowl, Cloud layed out the three men in seconds. He then ordered Marlene to get on his bike as he leaned down to pick up TJ's limp and motionless body.

* * *

Tiler felt her phone vibrate about half-way through the conference. She ignored it for as long as possible but the person calling her was persistent. They called back again and again, always the same person. She knew who the caller was because she'd blocked all numbers on her cell except from Seventh Heaven until the meeting was over.  
Looking down at the president's straight face, Tilar could tell, even through his polite mask, that the blonde man was bored out of his mind. She leaned down and subtly whispered in his ear.

"Sir, Cloud is calling me and he knows I'm here today."

Rufus leaned back in his chair and whispered to Tilar without looking at her, making sure to keep his eyes on the man giving the speech to be polite.

"If he's calling you knowing you're working then it's probably important. Take the call and come back when you're done."

"Yes sir."

Tilar quietly left Shinra's conference room and finally answered the phone.

"Cloud? What's wrong?"

"Is it possible for you to get out of there?"

Tilar's stomach began to knot and a sickening feeling bubbled deep down inside.

"No, there's no one to cover me. Why? What happened?"

"TJ's been hurt pretty badly. He left with Marlene this morning to show her some special place he told her he'd been with you. Marlene said he asked you to bring him there last night but you were busy. He asked Tifa and me too but we were busy as well. He must have decided to go alone."

Tilar's face paled and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"What happened?" She asked again, her voice cracking this time.

"They were attacked by some scumbag thugs. Average guys but no match for them. Marlene wasn't hurt but TJ's pretty banged up. Just get over here as soon as you can."

Tilar opened her mouth to speak but another voice cut her off.

"What's with the face? Someone die?"

Tilar whirled around to see Reno standing beside her. He was wearing a half-smile but his eyes were serious. His uniform was absent and replaced with civilian clothes, which was expected since it was his day off.

"TJ's been hurt badly." Tilar choked out. Reno's smile faded to a deep frown.

"So go to him." He said seriously. Tilar's own frown deepened.

"I can't, the meeting isn't over yet."

"I'll cover for you." The redhead said without hesitation. Tilar considered this for only a moment before speaking into her cell phone.

"I'll be right there, Cloud."

Tilar closed the phone and looked at the redhead.

"What are you doing here?... And what about your uniform."

"I've got a spare one in my office." Reno replied. "And I came back to get a case file I left here. What are you still doing here? Go."

Tilar glanced at the conference room door and Reno walked behind her to give her a push.

"He'll understand. It's not like it's a big mission or anything, and Elena and I will be there anyway so don't worry about it. Go!"

Right then Tilar felt something deep inside ache painfully. Reno was doing for her what no one else had ever done. He was showing concern, kindness and compassion beyond anything she was used to. First there was Tifa and Cloud, now Reno, and the TURKS. Slowly but surely these people were breaking down her walls and barriers that took her so long to build, and melting her frozen heart -- And Reno was at the head of the group.

"Thank you, Reno." She whispered gratefully. "You have no idea what this means to me. I owe you big."

Reno gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Go." He said again. Giving her one final push.

Tilar nodded and finally shot off for the exit.

* * *

A tear ran down Tilar's face as she sat next to her little brother's motionless form.

"You stubborn little brat." She whispered, stroking his un-bandaged cheek softly. "What were you thinking?"

Tilar laid down beside TJ and took him in her arms, stroking his hair gently as she starred down into his battered and bruised face.  
After making sure by Tifa that TJ was alright other than being nearly beaten to within an inch of his life, she vowed to hunt down the men and make sure they paid. The small, handsome boy was now nearly impossible to look at without sending Tilar into a terrible rage. The only thing that kept her in the room and not going out after the men was the fact that Tifa assured her that Cloud had taken care of them and they wouldn't be bothering anyone ever again. Also, that TJ was bruised and beaten and would be alright, so she should be there for him when he woke up.

TJ stirred in his sleep and gave a painful little moan. Tilar hushed him, knowing he probably couldn't hear her. She pulled him a little closer as he subconsciously wrapped his arms around her and another pair of tears slipped down her cheek.

"You stupid little brat." She whispered painfully. "Why won't you ever listen? I hope this teaches you a lesson if nothing else. You're pride is greater then mine and it was bound to be your downfall..."

Tilar looked up as the door to TJ's room quietly opened, revealing a welcomed face.

"How is he?" Reno asked softly. Tilar frowned and looked down at her brother.

"He's..... he's alive. Tifa says she should be OK in a few days, though he'll probably be in a lot of pain for a while... Conference over?"

Reno nodded and moved to sit down next to them on the bed. He pulled a round, glowing object from his pocket and placed it on TJ's chest.  
Tilar watched the materia sink into her brother's body and knew by it's color that it was a healing materia, a rare one to find nowadays.

Looking up into the redhead's face, her eyes shone with gratitude as she swallowed hard from incomprehension. She simply didn't understand.

"Thank you, Reno. Again."

Reno nodded again, still not looking up at Tilar but starring down into TJ's bruised face instead.

After some time, Tilar's question couldn't go unanswered any longer.

"Why are you so kind to him... to me? Why did you do so much for him already? Why do you try so hard? Continue to do things for him? Care so much?... Why?"

Reno smiled fondly as he starred down at TJ, then looked up at Tilar seriously.

"He uh.... he kinda reminds me of me, of what it used to be like. To be on the streets and live from day to day. I used to be a lot like him.... still am I guess. Stubborn, careless, independent. I guess I just find it so easy to relate to him, to the both of you.

I know what it's like not to trust, not to be able to trust, and I know how hard it is. I want to be here for you guys because no one was there for me. I want to show you that the whole world isn't bad and there is still some good left.... if not very much. TJ is easier to get to open up, you're a little harder. I'm not trying to get to you through him, I'm just trying to work my way into your circle of trust. You _can_ trust me Tilar."

Tilar took a deep breath, feeling as if a huge bolder was resting on top of her chest, making it incredibly hard to breathe. Whether he was trying to or not, Reno was wriggling his way into her life, and though she had immediately rejected the idea, she was slowly warming up to it and found it was becoming not such a bad idea after all.

Swallowing hard once again, Tilar forced a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of emotion washed over her.

"This is all my fault." She whispered painfully. "For all our lives it's always been the two of us and nothing has ever come before each other.... I shouldn't have let this new job of mine get in the way of the only family I have left, it's not right.... I should have been there."

It wasn't overly surprising to feel Reno's embrace around her, enveloping both her and TJ in his arms. Unlike the other times however, this time the feeling was welcome and made Tilar feel safe and secure for the first time in her life.

No more words were said but Reno did well with expressing to Tilar that none of this was her fault, no matter how much she felt it was. It was as if she could feel what he was thinking through his embrace and knew that having him there was more then she could ever thank him for.

* * *

A week after TJ's mishap found Tilar on the roof of the tallest building in Midgar. TJ had recovered days after his mess and to his surprise had received a minimal scolding from his sister. She had been too worried and scared over him that she hadn't bothered to be angry.

Now on yet another mission, Tilar scanned the area below her, and was a little relieved to see that there weren't many people. Good, that made things easier.

"Darkness to Crimson. Darkness to Crimson. Come in Crimson."

Reno's voice came through her ear piece as she watched him below her. He was under cover, sitting casually at a table outside a restaurant as he pretended to read the newspaper.

"Crimson to Darkness. Go ahead Darkness."

Tilar made one more sweep of the area before responding.

"You're all clear Crimson. Target should be arriving any minute."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tilar spotted the person they'd been waiting for.

"Target spotted at four o'clock. Action is not advised."

Reno subtly looked up and over his paper and spotted a man looking to be in about his mid-twenties exiting a limo and walking away from him. The man had short, neat, black hair and was wearing a clean, crisp looking white suit.

"Negative." Came Reno's reply. "He's walking away and he's alone. This might be the only chance we get, I'm moving in."

"NO!" Tilar all but shouted. "You don't know the situation. Do not make a move Crimson! I repeat, do NOT make a move!!"

But Reno ignored her. He put down his paper and stood up, walking after the man in white.

"Stop! Don't take him out!" Tilar said desperately, but again Reno ignored her and continued walking.

When the redhead had nearly reached the man in white, he ducked into an alleyway where only Tilar, from her position, could see him and reached into his pocket.

"I said don't!" Tilar insisted.

"You said all was clear!" Reno said in frustration, taking aim.

"But that's only from where I am! Don't take the shot! You don't know how many men he could have posted here!"

Reno raised his gun, ready to pull the trigger. Tilar threw her sniper over her shoulder and jumped over the side of the building, sliding down a long pipe that lead to the ground.

The gunshot was deafening and Tilar's head snapped to the alleyway Reno was in. Reno's gun had a silencer -- that only meant one thing.

"Idiot!" Tilar yelled, bolting for the alleyway.

Tilar glanced back to where the man in white had been and noticed with anger that he was gone, along with each and every civilian that had minutes ago occupied the streets. She dodged bullets as she sped into the alleyway Reno was in. With a lurch of her heart, her breath hitched as she saw the redhead on the ground holding his shoulder. Seeing as that was the only place he'd been shot and aside from blood-loss he was in no great danger, Tilar's concern turned to anger as she rushed over to him and knelt down.

"You moron!" She yelled angrily. "You just blew the whole damned mission!!"

"Yea, yea, I know!" Reno spat just as furiously. "Let's just get out of here!"

Tilar growled and lifted Reno's arm around her shoulder as she hoisted him to his feet. They could hear footsteps pounding the pavement close by and knew they would soon be over run. The two TURKS ran down the long alleyway until they came to a high, chain linked fence. Tilar knew Reno couldn't climb that high in his condition and knew she couldn't get him over it herself in time to save them both. She instead cursed and ducked behind a huge, heavy dumpster.

"This is Darkness calling base. Requesting back up immediately. Mission failed. I repeat, requesting immediate backup."

Reno didn't look at Tilar as she called in the request, which was fine because at that moment, Tilar wasn't in the mood to look at him either.

Seconds later, an angry voice responded to the call.

"Request for back up answered, Darkness." Rufus' voice barked. "Black bird is on the way."

Tilar was very glad at that moment for the tracking devices Tseng had forced them to wear. While the idea hadn't pleased her at first, she was more then glad to have them now.

Before long, the alleyway was overrun with people firing at the two and it was all Tilar and Reno could do do hold them off. Soon enough, Tilar was down to her last clip and didn't want to think about what would happen if they ran out. As soon as she'd thought this, Tilar heard a click. Looking to her right at Reno's stern face made her heart sink further.

"I'm out." The redhead said solemnly.

Tilar sighed angrily and shook her head. Elena had been right about him. Reno was a force to be reckoned with and had many skills and talents to be proud of. However, the redhead couldn't aim for shit and hadn't hit a single enemy. The stray shots had managed to keep them back but that was it.

Just when Tilar was firing her final shots and wondering what she was going to do when they were gone, she heard a loud swishing sound above her among the dozens of loud gunshots.

Looking up, Tilar was relieved to see the huge, black helicopter hovering above them lowering a ladder.

Tilar and Reno both grabbed the ladder as the raven-haired woman continued to fend off their pursuers with the last of her ammo.

She was almost aboard the chopper when Tilar felt a sharp pain in her side. She gritted her teeth to keep from yelling out and threw away her empty gun as someone hoisted her aboard the chopper and closed the door. Tilar held her injured side and scowled at the inside of the helicopter.

Neither Tilar nor Reno spoke to one another the entire ride back to Shinra. They both knew what was in store for them upon their return and that on top of Tilar's foul mood was not something that asked for conversation.

* * *

Tseng starred at Reno and Tilar, both having their wounds poked and prodded at in the medical wing by two different doctors.

"The President is furious." He said solemnly. "You always had a carefree nature, Reno, but you were always serious and level-headed about your work. You are and always were one of the best we have, even though you're often careless outside your work.... But this is the first time your stupidity has ever cost us a mission."

Tseng turned away from the two and looked out the window.

"We'll try to get him again the next time he surfaces, but that may not be for a very long time. The next time we get a shot at this mission, Elena will be Tilar's partner. Reno, you're off the case and suspended from active duty this term."

"What?!" Reno yelled angrily, making the doctor mending his wound jump. "He can't do that! You said yourself, I'm one of the best! I can't be stuck in an office for that long! It's a waste and I'll go insane! I suck at all that paperwork crap Tseng, you know I do!"

"It's only a few months Reno." Tseng said sternly, turning then back to the redhead with a serious face. "Be thankful that's all you got."

Without another word, Tseng left the medical area, leaving Tilar feeling pity towards the redhead while the man in question steamed furiously.


	8. Too Far Reno

**A/N:** Here's the next one guys, was a little later then I'd hoped but still surprisingly early for me. :) Hope you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.  


* * *

  
Rufus looked at the clock on his wall and sighed.

"Is it really that much to ask for him to be on time for ONE meeting?"

The young president rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. He looked up at his statue-like employees and his eyes fell on Tilar.

"Tilar, go get Reno, and tell him if he's not here in fifteen minutes, he'll be looking for a new job tomorrow."

Tilar's face flickered for a split-second to the slightest form of shock. That punishment seemed a little harsh to her. The blonde man had only recently calmed down from his anger against the redhead and as it turned out, Reno had only had to suffer through a few weeks of paper and office work instead of months. He had his spot back but was still off the case he'd been on with Tilar. The redhead was lucky to get that.

Tilar opened her mouth to speak but Rufus gave her a sly smile and a wink.

Ah! Now she understood.

The serious woman gave him a small smile in return, then bowed respectfully.

"Yes, sir." She said, then turned around and walked out of the office.

* * *

One knock.

Silence.

Two Knocks.

Nothing.

Three knocks.

No answer.

Tilar rolled her eyes and banged on the door as hard as she could.

"Reno! Open the damn door!"

Tilar heard a groan from the other side of the door, then heard Reno's muffled voice.

"Yea, yea, I'm coming."

A minute later the door opened and Tilar was greeted with a very tired looking Reno. He yawned and stretched, then scratched behind his head as he regarded her curiously.

"Hey, Ty." He said through a yawn. "Watcha doin' here so early?"

Tilar raised an eyebrow.

"Reno, it's quarter past nine."

Reno cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"No it's not. It's only five-thirty."

Tilar raised an eyebrow and lifted her wrist to show him the time on her watch.  
Reno looked at it and his eyes bugged.

"Shit!!" He yelled frantically, then bolted back into his room.

Tilar again rolled her eyes and walked into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"My alarm clock says five-thirty!" Reno shouted, running from his room and into the bathroom carrying his uniform.

"Well your alarm clock is wrong isn't it?" Tilar said bluntly, walking over to look through the sliding glass doors. She heard Reno mumbling to himself through the bathroom door behind her.

"Oh, by the way." Tilar added loudly, not bothering to turn around. "I advise you to be less than fifteen minutes or else you'll be looking for a new job tomorrow."

There was a rather loud bang from inside the bathroom and Tilar heard Reno curse before his voice was again heard over the shower.

"WHAT?!" He yelled frantically. "Why the hell didn't you say that first?!"

"Must have slipped my mind." Tilar replied. There was a yell of frustration from the bathroom and Tilar couldn't help but smirk.

Tilar opened Reno's sliding doors and proceeded onto the balcony, shutting the door behind her. A moment or so later, she could hear Reno exit the bathroom and proceed to run about aimlessly, attempting to get ready as fast as he could. Knowing it would likely take her conrad a few minutes, Tilar decided to let her thoughts wander a bit.__

"Why is it that every time he's near me, I loose any and all resolve or self-control I worked so hard to build....?"

Tilar sighed and leaned her arms against the railing as she starred out over the scene before her without really seeing it.__

"When he's not near me, it's easy to simply think of him as a colleague or a fellow employee; maybe even as much as a friend.... but when he's with me, next to me.... touching_ me.... I just fall apart at the seams! Why, damn it?!"_

Tilar frowned and clenched her hands into fists. Her thoughts were driving her mad and she was sure they would have to put her in a straight jacket if she didn't soon sort them out.

But before she could come to a conclusion on them however, Tilar heard the glass doors slide open behind her.

"You know, I think we've got the most beautiful view of all the apartments." Reno said softly.

Tilar said nothing, just nodded. It was true, hers and Reno's apartments were the only ones with a view like theirs, hers being directly above his. But such trivial things were currently the furthest things from her mind.

"You can see for miles, it never seems to end. A bit intimidating in a way... but it's a bit exciting too."

Again Tilar said nothing and Reno continued.

"It's especially beautiful out here in the rain."

Tilar smiled a little in spite of herself.

The rain. She loved the rain. It was so beautiful and relaxing. So calming and soothing. No matter what foul mood she was in, no matter her troubles or her worries, just watching, listening to, or being in the rain would instantly melt it all away.

Yes, she had to agree with him there. The rain was beautiful.

"I agree." She whispered softly.

Reno looked at her, a little surprised, then smiled and looked back ahead of him again.

"It's so easy to get lost in the feel of it. Your world can seem so wrong and so fucked up that you just wanna forget it all and just melt away.... just melt into one of those rain drops and follow it to wherever it goes... wondering... thinking that no matter what happens to it or where it goes, nothing could possibly be worse then the crap you're already dealing with anyway..."

Tilar looked at Reno in shock. Such poetic ramblings were utterly uncharacteristic of him -- yet strangely, they suited him well. She could relate to this Reno, she could _feel_ this Reno; because in truth, what he'd said defined the way she had often felt to a tee.

Tilar watched Reno for a few moments, then looked down before looking ahead of her again.

"Didn't know you were so poetic." She said playfully. Reno looked at her again but this time there was no smile.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

Tilar looked at him again and for a moment, their gazes locked together. Reno was starring into Tilar's eyes so intensely she was sure he was looking into her very soul. And of course, that was simply unheard of! No one was allowed that kind of intimacy from her! Since meeting the redhead, she had already lost most of the things she had worked so hard all her life to build. There was no way she was going to allow him this as well.

Tilar tore her gaze from Reno's and pointedly stepped away from him.

Reno starred at Tilar for a moment, then looked away as well.

There was silence between the two for what felt like hours, but Tilar knew it couldn't have been more than a few minutes.

Eventually Reno spoke again.

"There's something about the rain that really gets to me... not in a bad way, just... I dunno. Gets to me."

Tilar nodded but again said nothing.

"I have my own thoughts, obviously, but I'm not the only one who thinks like it...."

Reno paused before speaking again.

"I've heard people talk about it. I hear them say sometimes exactly what I can't, what I can't describe.... what I can't say aloud. I envy them for being brave enough to say it. I wish I could. But to think and to say are two entirely different things. Even you, I'm sure, have learned that."

Reno stopped talking and looked at Tilar, then stepped closer to her. Instinctively, Tilar stepped back.

"It's intoxicating sometimes..." Reno whispered, stepping closer still. Again Tilar stepped back.

"Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming you can't take it any more... you need it... crave it... will do anything to have it..."

Tilar swallowed and stepped back yet again as Reno advanced on her, only this time, she quickly realized, she could go back no further as she was now leaning against the railing on the opposite side. Tilar starred into Reno's eyes and found him to be starring back quite intensely, once more starring into her very soul. But this time she found she couldn't tear her gaze away.

"It's like a drug.... so addicting... so powerful... so maddening without it..."

Reno now leaned in until his face was inches from Tilar's. Such intense words... he was still talking about the rain .... right?

"And when it's so close, so close you can almost feel it beneath your finger tips, the scent driving you crazy, so beautiful... so _dangerous_... yet you'd kill for it... you'd do anything to make it yours..."

Reno leaned in now until the space between his face and Tilar's was almost non-existent.

Tilar had to fight back a shiver as she felt his warm breath dance across her face. Again she swallowed.

"So good..." Reno said softly.

Tilar was starring into Reno's eyes, transfixed, and it was only now she noticed that she was breathing quite heavily and her heart was thundering so loudly she was sure Reno could hear it.

"So close...." He whispered again "I can almost _taste_ it......"

Tilar nibbled the side of her cheek. What was she supposed to do? It was obvious Reno wanted to kiss her. Was she supposed to kiss him first? Was that what he was waiting for?

After a few hour-long seconds, Tilar decided there was only one way to find out. She swallowed hard and made to lean into Reno, but just as she moved, Reno pulled away and bit into an apple she didn't know he'd had.

"Or at leasht, das wut dey say." He said over a mouthful of fruit. He then turned away and walked back towards the house.

Tilar starred dumbly ahead of her, a blank expression on her face. How stupid had she been? What had made her think Reno had wanted to kiss her?

Her face then contorted into anger. He had of course. She hadn't ever realized how cruel the man was until that very moment. Had he known? Was she that see-through? That had to be it. He must have seen something she didn't want to admit. He had known that there was something bubbling just below her surface, had seen the feelings manifesting there, and he had toyed with her for his own amusement. This was a new low, even for the firey red-head who she thought she now knew inside out. After months of seeing each other nearly every day, spending so much time together, being through so much and going on so many missions together, talking and sharing the things they had, being pestered and bothered and teased and bugged and... comforted by the redhead, this -- Tilar was loathe to admit -- was surprising, even for Reno.

Reno slid open the glass doors and turned around, noticing he had been walking alone.

"Ya comin'? I'd- what's wrong with you?"

Tilar set her face into a scowl and starred past Reno.

"Nothing." She said through clenched teeth.

Reno furrowed his brows and starred at her in confusion, but after a few moments, he shook his head and gestured towards the door.

"Well c'mon. I'd rather not loose my job today."

Tilar snorted and walked towards Reno.

"Should have considered _that_ before you decided to _sleep in_." She growled as she walked past him, taking great care to shoulder him hard as she walked past.

Reno starred after Tilar in utter confusion. Now what had he done? Was it possible for him to be in the woman's presence without pissing her off? Seemed like all he had to do was look at her and he could automatically upset her.

Reno frowned and sighed heavily, then followed after Tilar as she practically stormed out of his apartment.

* * *

"Finally!" Rufus exclaimed as Tilar and Reno entered his office.

Tilar took up her statue-like place next to Elena and glared sourly at the wall. Rufus raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to Reno, who was standing in position next to Rude with a frown. Rufus couldn't help but smirk.

"What'd you do now Reno?" He teased smugly.

Reno chewed the side of his cheek for a moment but didn't look at Rufus.

"I'm sorry I'm late sir." He replied, choosing to ignore the comment. "My alarm clock was broke or something."

Rufus turned around to hide his smile.

"It's fine Reno. I probably would have had a heart-attack if you'd actually been on time anyway."

Rufus turned back to his Turks.

"There's been a disturbance somewhere down in the slums. It looks like the same kind of mess that was left behind from Tilar and Elena's first mission together, but nothing is certain yet. Honestly, there's not really a whole lot I can tell you about it right now, but we do have a few leads. However, I don't want _any_ of you to take any action just yet."

Rufus gave a suggestive glance at Tilar when he said this and her jaw tightened. The mission she'd gone on with Elena had been tailing the man who had been chasing her and TJ for most of their lives. Until that point, Tilar had never had the ability or the courage to hunt him in return, let alone that she didn't know where to find him. On top of that, he was also part of the mission Reno had managed to blow and was therefor the reason she had been so furious with the redhead. She was ecstatic that the man had managed to become a pain in the ass for Rufus and his company because that gave her an excuse to go after him. She wanted to find and kill the bastard that had caused her and her brother so much pain. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth her job. If Rufus forbid her to chase him, she'd just have to be a little more patient and wait for his blessing.

Rufus looked away from Tilar and turned his attention back to the rest of his TURKS before he continued.

"We don't want to make a move until we have something solid, I just wanted to inform you all and prepare you for anything that may happen or come up. These are copies of the case files and everything we have so far."

Rufus picked up a stack of big, thick, brown envelopes from his desk and gave one each to his Turks.

"That's all for now. You're dismissed."

The Turks all nodded and gave the President a low bow.

"Sir." They said in unison, then turned and left his office.

Reno ran to catch up with Tilar and fell into step along side her.

"C'mon Ty, what'd I do now?"

Tilar starred ahead of her angrily, choosing to ignore the redhead in favor of keeping her cool.

"Tilar!" Reno insisted. "Talk to me! Please?"

When Tilar still refused to acknowledge him, Reno stepped in front of Tilar, forcing her to stop.

"How am I supposed to fix it if I don't know what I'm supposed to fix?!"

Tilar finally turned an angry glare on Reno, one that actually made his blood run cold, and clenched her teeth.

"You can't. Move."

After a slight hesitation, Reno frowned and stepped aside, allowing Tilar to continue on her way. He starred after her as she made her way back to her apartment, racking his brains to think for the life of him what he could have said or done to upset her this time.  


* * *

"Come on, Ty! You need this more then the rest of us. Forget that jerk and relax."

Tilar sat stubbornly at the island in he kitchen and scanned, for the hundredth time that day, the case file Rufus had given them.

Elena was relentless.

"It's just for a few hours. Come out and have a few drinks with us. I'll even pay if you're too cheap."

Tilar snorted humorlessly at Elena's playful comment. She had nearly an entire fortune between herself and TJ, and after over a decade of barely being touched, she knew for a fact that the fortune had grown fat. Money was the least of her worries. Still, she wasn't in the mood for partying or celebrating.

Finally Elena sighed and sat down along-side Tilar, leaning on one elbow as she starred at the woman.

"Look, Reno's an idiot-"

"Who say's Reno's bothering me?" Tilar interrupted moodily. Elena smiled, unfazed by Tilar's snaps.

"No one, but I know you by now. He's the only one who ever pisses you off this much.... except when someone mentions-"

"Don't!" Tilar warned. Elena smiled again.

"So there you go. It is Reno. Come on Tilar! Just come out with us for a little while. If you're not having fun, you can always come home."

After another hour or so of pestering and pleading, Tilar finally closed the file with a great huff and turned a weary look on Elena.

"Fine! I'll come out for a while if you'll just shut up!"

Elena smiled and stood up.

"Great! Glad to hear it. So I'll be back in a hour or so to pick you up."

"Yea, sure." Tilar mumbled. And with that said, Elena left.  


* * *

Tilar nearly smiled as she looked around at her team. It was the first time she'd ever seen any of them, save Reno, in anything but uniforms.

Elena was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt under her matching jean jacket. Tseng wore a pair of tan khakis and a black dress shirt while Rude was also wearing a pair of khakis, a different shade of tan in his case, and a white button-down. Reno, as usual, looked as casual as one could get. He was wearing a pair of faded denim jeans and a white, pinstripe button-down that was hanging loosely and wasn't buttoned up all the way. His ever-present goggles were perched on top of his head and he was leaning back in his chair without a care in the world.  
Tilar had settled on a pair of denim jeans and a white sleeveless top, a black jacket and pair of high-heeled back boots completed the outfit. Her long, thick, black hair was simply left down in waves and not bothered much more.

The serious woman sipped her drink as her fellow employees laughed and talked around her. It wasn't until Elena mentioned her name that she tuned into their conversation.

"That when the dumb-ass over there decided to take things into his own hands. We almost had him too."

Tilar had to force back a growl.

"Can we change the subject please." She sad as calmly as she could muster. Elena gladly obliged and leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table as she starred at Tilar.

"Sure thing. How about we talk about what made you such a stick in the mud today?"

The blonde looked over at Reno, who was just taking a swig of his drink.

"So, what'd ya do now Reno?"

Reno shrugged, still drinking from his glass. When he put it down, he smiled.

"Dunno. Tell ya when I find out."

The others laughed a little and even Rude smiled ever so slightly. Tilar, however, simply scowled at the redhead.

"Ooooo." Elena cooed. "If looks could kill Reno."

"Yea, I'd be you guy's next case."

Tilar rolled her eyes and took another swig of her own drink as her so called friends laughed at her expense. She knew they were just having their kicks and fun and that neither of them meant any harm. Still, how could they understand how she was feeling? And more importantly, how could she be expected to tell them. It was simply easier said then done.

After teasing Tilar a little more, Tseng's cell phone rang. He answered it politely, knowing who was calling him, then hung up and looked around at the others at the table.

"The President wants us to check out a disturbance down in the slums. He said it's not a big deal and doesn't need all of us."

Everyone stood up but Elena held up a hand to Reno and Tilar.

"You heard him, he doesn't need all of us. You guys stay here and talk this shit out. Whatever _this_ is. We can't have hostility among our numbers."

So with a scowl, Tilar reluctantly sat back down, followed by Reno as the others turned and left with promises to be back as soon as possible.

When they were alone, Reno turned to Tilar with a grin.

"So, where do you wanna start?"

"How about with the check." Tilar grumbled, standing up to leave. Reno's had on hers stopped her.

"Come on, Ty, stay." The redhead said softly. "Elena's right, whatever's bothering you, we've got to work it out. The TURKS are a team and if one of us is upset then it creates hostility. And you know yourself that hostility among a team like ours could mean someones death, even if it's unintentional."

Tilar swallowed as she starred at Reno. He was right. With a heavy sigh, she sat back down.

"Fine." She said moodily, picking up her drink for a sip. Reno beamed and leaned back in his chair.

"Alrighty then! Let's see."

The redhead picked up his drink and watched Tilar as he look a sip.

"So," Reno said, taking a rather large swig of his drink before putting it back down. "I know I'm always pissing you off one way or another, but you usually get over it in a few hours at the most, but you've been mad at me all day. What did I do different today?"

Tilar glared at the man and his rhetorical question, observing him bitterly as he continued to ponder aloud.

"Hmm.... I was late for work this morning, but that wouldn't bother you, I've been late before and why would you care? So that can't be it. Then I was talking to you on the balcony before we left and you said you agreed with the stuff I was saying, so that couldn't have been it. Then we went to the President's office and he gave us the case files, but I didn't talk to you in that time. After that we left the office and you didn't talk to me anymore for the rest of the day, until we got here."

Reno looked back at Tilar and took another swig of his drink.

"Did I miss anything?"

Tilar's glare intensified.

"Ya think?" She spat venomously. Unfazed, Reno began his rant again.

"OK, so.... you were fine when we were on the balcony, but you were pissed again when we left, so I guess I must of said something while we were there right? Hmm.... Now what did I say?"

Reno took a good long haul of his drink, enough to empty it, and Tilar tensed uncomfortably. The redhead was getting dangerously close, seems he had a little more common sense then she'd originally given him credit for.

"I came out and started off talking about the scenery. Then I started talking about the rain.... what was I talking about after that...?"

Tilar unconsciously held her breath and a sickening feeling suddenly washed over her as Reno suddenly grinned and looked back at her again.

"That's right, I remember now."

Reno moved forward and leaned his elbows on the table.

"I was still talking about the _rain_ wasn't I?"

Tilar's breath hitched as she noted the look in Reno's eye; the same look that had adorned his face earlier that day on his balcony.

"I told you how I felt about it.. what I'd _do_ to _have_ it..."

Tilar's eyes widened slightly as Reno moved in close to her, just as he had that day.

"And I moved in _real _close to you, like this..."

Tilar was fighting for breath that didn't seem to be available, feeling like her lungs were going to collapse at any minute while her heart pounded angrily against her chest.

"So close.. I could almost taste...."

Tilar thought she was going to faint. But against everything she expected, Reno again pulled away from her and grinned.

"That's it isn't it?" He said with a cocky expression as he leaned back in his chair triumphantly. "You're pissed off with me because you thought I wanted to kiss you!"

Reno laughed and flagged down a barmaid, ordering another drink from her before turning back to Tilar.

"I knew I'd figure it out. Well relax will ya, I didn't kiss you did I?"

The barmaid returned with Reno's drink in record time and the redhead took a long swig of it, feeling quite proud of himself. When he put his glass down, he grinned at Tilar again, but it quickly dropped from his face when he saw the look on Tilar's.

Tilar's entire body was trembling, but this time it wasn't from rage, it was from something else. Her fists were clenched at her side and her face was flushed rose-red.

"Congratulations Reno." Se whispered, attempting to sound angry but failing miserably. "You figured it out."

Pushing her chair away from the table, Tilar stood up and walked away. Her face was burning with utter embarrassment for the first time in her life. She was angrily forcing back tears demanding to be let out and she couldn't remember ever feeling so horrible in her entire life.

_"Damn that asshole and damn this job!"_ Tilar cursed in her head.

Reno starred after Tilar with shock as his mouth hung agape. He watched her walk to the bar and ask for her tab, avoiding his gaze at all costs as she turned angrily away from him. Were those tears in her eyes? Why? She'd told him he'd guessed right, she was pissed off with him because he had almost kissed her. God how he'd wanted to kiss her -- though he hadn't dared tell her that. That morning on the balcony, at the moment he'd been so close, he had long ago stopped talking about the rain. He wanted Tilar, he _craved_ her. It wasn't just lust like all the women before her, this time it was something else, something more... something he couldn't quite pin point. But knowing how the woman felt about him -- at least, he'd thought he'd known -- and knowing how much he annoyed her and got under her skin -- albeit, most days on purpose -- he hadn't dared go through with such a risky idea, and had therefor covered his mistake with another one of his usual, idiotic stunts. But this time, this time he'd been wrong. This time he'd actually hurt someone, which was ironic since that was the reason he hadn't gone through with his plan in the first place.

So if Tilar had been pissed off that he had almost kissed her, but she wasn't because of the fact that he'd wanted to, then what did that mean?

"She couldn't have actually _wanted_ me so kiss her..." The redhead whispered to himself. "...Could she?"

In a sudden revelation, Reno realized that he had finally hit the nail on the head. His heart gave a tremendous somersault as an ear-to-ear smile split his face. He jumped up from his chair -- and not a moment too soon -- and dashed over to Tilar, spinning her around by the shoulder before she could leave. Without hesitation, he planted his lips onto hers needily and pulled her impossibly close.

Tilar gasped as her eyes widened as big as saucers. She made to pull away from Reno but the man only tightened his grip on her and deepened the kiss pleadingly. Tilar's heart threatened to explode from the pressure as a hot flush spread across her cheeks. She closed her eyes and slipped her arms around the redhead's neck as she finally kissed him back.

Reno sighed happily and smiled into the kiss.

When the two TURKS finally pulled away, Reno hugged Tilar tight as his head leaned down to press his cheek against hers.

"I'm sorry." He whispered honestly. "I never meant to hurt you Tilar... I was talking about you on the balcony today... I never imagined you'd actually want me to kiss you. You're a really complicated woman you know that?"

Tilar sighed and unconsciously nuzzled Reno's cheek, closing her eyes as she savored the feeling of being held by him, along with the state of ecstasy his kiss had left her in.

"Thank you Reno.." She whispered softly. "For not letting me go."

Reno smiled and pulled back to look into her eyes.

"I'll never let you go." He said through his smile. "You should of learned that by now."

Tilar smiled up at him but at that moment, the sound of applause interrupted the two. Turning around in Reno's arms as Reno looked over her head curiously, Tilar blinked at the people standing there.

"Well, that took longer then expected." Elena teased playfully. "You're losing your touch Reno."

Reno gave her an unamused look while Tseng and Reno's partner, Rude, on the other hand, both looked extremely amused.

"Funny." He replied sarcastically, leaning down then with a grin to rest his chin on Tilar's shoulder. "Good things take time blondie."

The three other TURKS laughed while Tilar simply stood in Reno's arms, not used to, or comfortable with, the affection and not really sure of what to do. Seeing the look on her face, Elena gave her a warm smile.

"I'm just teasing Ty. I'm really happy for you two. Reno's a pretty cool guy, so don't worry."

After an appreciative smile directed at Elena for her comment, Reno tilted his head over Tilar's shoulder to see her face.

"See, I'm a pretty cool guy." He teased.

Tilar smiled at him wordlessly and Reno gave her cheek a feathery kiss, somehow sensing that PDA wasn't her scene. He'd just have to remember to leave private matters private from now on.


	9. Just How Much

**A/N:** Yet again, sorry this chapter is so short guys but the next one is MORE then enough to make up for this one and any other short one in the series. In the mean time, hope you like this ons. Just a bit of fluff.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

  
"Reno!"

Reno gritted his teeth against the pain, ignoring his partner for the time being. He stood up from his spot on the ground and angrily wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Alright, this is getting really old." The red head seethed, starring at the men across from him with a vengeance. "I've got somewhere better to be tonight and I'm not about to let you assholes make me late!"

Running at the men with his EMR(1) gripped tightly in his hands, Reno swung and struck the biggest guy full-on in the head, knocking him out cold. Before he could turn to the second guy however, he was struck hard in the chest and sent flailing backwards. Reno landed on the ground with an 'Oomph' as he slid back several feet. Getting to his feet again, Reno cringed as he felt the raw, exposed flesh on his back. He could feel the wetness of it and knew he had shredded the flesh badly. Taking off his outer jacket and tossing it aside, Reno casually rolled up his sleeves, causing the people he was fighting to exchange confused looks as they watched him. Nearby, Rude smirked during his fight, knowing now that his partner meant business.

"See, this is what we get for trying to reason with the lower-class garbage."

His face contorting in uncharacteristic anger, Reno flew at the men in little more then a blur. Fists, feet and weapon flying, he quickly laid out five of the six men he'd been fighting in seconds -- the last already laying unconscious.

Rude smirked as he finished off the last of his opponents with a mighty, well-placed punch. Reaching up to fix his tie as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred, Rude walked up to his partner and casually observed the damage.

"So much for leaving them conscious for questioning." The buff man said casually. Reno walked over along the ground and picked up his jacket.

"Eh, we'll just say it wasn't possible. Besides, you know as well as I do that those morons didn't know anything. We'll just leave 'em for the local authorities to clean up."

Looking over his jacket, Reno's face turned up in disgust. It was completely shredded and looking over his shoulder, he had a feeling his back didn't look much better.

"Come on, let's go." The redhead said moodily. "I'm sick of this scene. Besides, I've got someone waiting for me back home."

Rude smirked as he got behind the drivers seat of the car, Reno sliding in the passengers side. The black BMW peeled out of the alley way and headed back to Shinra, both men knowing that all hell was going to break loose when they returned, and not because Rufus didn't get his information.

* * *

Tilar sighed as she released her hair, letting it all, once again, cascade down over her shoulders carelessly. She'd been fooling and playing around with it all afternoon and hadn't yet been able to come up with something she liked.

"This is ridiculous..." She mumbled moodily. "It's only dinner."

Reno had insisted on going out to dinner that night and Tilar had reluctantly agreed. He said he had a small errand to run for the President but would be back in plenty of time to take her out, insisting he'd be back just before supper. Well, it was now a few hours past the time Reno said he'd be back and Tilar was already at his apartment waiting for him. Looking herself over she decided she looked well enough and left the bathroom and mirror behind.

The red head and his partner had gone out that morning, supposedly to talk to some people about their main priority at the moment, the man Tilar had been after for years -- or more accurately, whom had been after her. She had insisted the president let her go along, but Rufus had refused. Unfortunately, Elena and Tseng had been busy and Rufus knew that sending Tilar into a case as personal to her as this one was a bad idea, so he had been forced -- albeit, none to happy about it -- to send in Reno along with Rude.

Tilar plopped herself down onto Reno's couch and looked at the clock for what had to be the hundredth time since her arrival at the apartment. Just when she was getting fed up, the door to the apartment opened and said redhead finally walked in.

"Finally!" Tilar exclaimed. "What happened, I thought-?"

Tilar froze when she took in Reno's appearance.

"What happened to you?" She asked quietly, taking in his appearance. "You said it was just a meeting with some guys?"

Reno's bottom lip had a small cut on the side and his eyebrow also had a small cut. His knuckles were a little bloodied and bruised and the man looked exhausted. Still, the ever-present grin was still there and his eyes were as bright and full of life as always.

"Eh, it was nothin'." He said causally, waving off her concern. "They just decided not to cooperate and we didn't get the info. Boss says it's no big deal cause he didn't expect to get anything from 'em anyway and is glad we just took care of 'em."

Tilar narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You're not telling me something." She said accusingly. Reno's smile slipped a little before quickly bouncing back again.

"Yea, well, we were tailing 'em for that guy you're after, but like I said, they didn't know anything."

"I already know that. You know I do." Tilar said, slowly approaching the redhead.

Reno's smile faded and he swallowed, turning his body as he walked backwards.

"That's it Ty, there's nothing else. Promise. I gotta get a shower if we're gonna go out tonight."

"Why won't you face me?" Tilar accused, still advancing on the redhead. Reno's steps widened in attempt to get away from her.

"I um, I gotta go get ready Ty." He said dumbly.

Tilar lunged at Reno and he tensed for the impact. But against everything he expected, she kissed him. Reno relaxed and smiled into the kiss, lifting his hands to her face affectionately. Tilar's hands roamed up Reno's arms, unbeknown to him, looking for more marks or defects. She slipped her hands inside his jacket and felt around, again feeling nothing abnormal, and slipped it off his shoulders, the redhead removing his hands to let her do so. When it was off, Reno placed his hands on her hips as the kiss continued. Tilar's hands then roamed up Reno's sides, making him sigh happily. Her hands again ran across his arms, then shoulders, still feeling nothing. Smiling into the kiss, the female TURK finally let herself believe that Reno was telling the truth after all, everything was fine and except for a few minor cuts and bruises, so was he. Tilar slipped her arms around Reno's back and the redhead flinched.

Tilar froze. Why did he flinch? Pulling away from the redhead she starred at him with worried eyes and furrowed brows.

"Why did you flinch?" She asked. Reno gave her a small smile.

"Just a reflex." He said simply, leaning in to give her another kiss. But Tilar pulled away and moved around Reno to his back.

"No, Ty it's nothing!" Reno insisted, trying to turn away and stop her. But Tilar was too fast.

Tilar gasped loudly as she starred at Reno's shredded and bloodied back.

"What happened...?" She whispered, her voice full of concern. Reno looked over his shoulder at her and noted the expression on her face.

"It's nothing Ty." He said gently. "Just a few cuts and scrapes. I'll be fine."

Tilar pursed her lips together before grabbing Reno's hands and practically dragging him to the bedroom.

"Oooo, no dinner and movie required?" Reno teased playfully. Tilar ignored him.

Once in the bedroom Tilar stopped in front of the bed.

"Sit." She said firmly. Reno starred at her.

"Ty, I-"

"Sit!" Tilar insisted heatedly, her face a mix of emotions. Reno sighed heavily and finally gave in, sitting down on the edge on the bed like she'd said.

Tilar disappeared from the room and appeared moments later with the bathrooms first aid kit. She moved behind Reno on the bed and took out everything she needed before getting to work.

Reno flinched again as Tilar gently dabbed at his multiple, gruesome wounds, her free hand placed supportively on his shoulder.

"You don't have to do this, Ty. I'm a big boy."

"You tell me not to be too proud to ask for help so swallow your pride and practice what you preach!"

Reno smiled at Tilar's spiteful words. Her firey nature was one of the reasons he liked her so much.

After a long time, Tilar placed her second hand on his free shoulder.

"Move back." She said softly.

Reno did as she said and Tilar took hold of his hips, gently encouraging him to lay on his stomach. Again following her instructions, Reno placed his arms under his chin as Tilar finished dressing his wounds. She cleaned and sterilized them, taking great care and taking a long time. Reno turned his head to look at her and noted with surprise the deep expression on her face. Tilar's face was usually blank and void of all emotion -- save perhaps anger which appeared quite often -- but now it was ridden with all sorts of emotion, an expression Reno had only seen adorn her face once; and that had been when TJ had gotten attacked. It was at that moment that Reno realized just what an impact he actually had on Tilar and what he really meant to her, though she did her damnedest to hide it from not only him, but the rest of the world also. Blue-green eyes unwillingly glossed over with the overwhelming discovery, and his throat constricted with the emotion.

Reno watched Tilar for a long time, her expression never changing, and when Tilar finally finished, she looked at Reno with tired, swirling eyes.

"Sit up." She said softly, her voice cracking slightly.

Again Reno did as she instructed and Tilar got on her knees before him, beginning to wrap his wounds tightly. When she was finished, Tilar grabbed the medical tape but didn't get a chance to use it.

"Reno, let go." She said firmly, her arms trapped against his chest. But Reno's grip didn't loosen.

"Let go." She said again, her voice more demanding this time. The serious woman huffed in frustration.

"At least let me finish this damn it!" She said angrily, though something in her voice told Reno that anger wasn't the reigning emotion this time. Still, his grip on her loosened, just enough so she could finish her task, and his arms were tight around her again.

Pulling her back up with him, Reno sat Tilar in his lap and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Clenching her teeth against her emotions, Tilar expertly forced them back as she sat motionless in Reno's arms.

"I'm a big boy Tilar." Reno said again, his voice soft and comforting. "I've been at this a long time. You don't need to worry about me."

"Who says I'm worried about you?" She said a little bitterly. But this time Reno ignored her defensive hostility.

Tilar couldn't resist a shiver as Reno placed a feathery kiss to her neck. Swallowing her emotions a little more difficultly this time, she attempted to ignore the red head nuzzling the hyper-sensitive spot and pulled a little away from him.

"Just because I helped stitch you up, Reno, doesn't mean I want you down on one knee asking me to marry you. We're still on the same team and teams help each other. At least, that's the shit you've all been feeding me isn't it?"

Reno smiled, unable to resist her character.

"Yea, that's the shit we've been feeding you." He replied softly. He then leaned back a little and looked up into her face.

"It's OK to tell me you care about me you know." He teased playfully. "I won't mind."

Tilar gave him a glare and the redhead laughed again. He then leaned ahead and placed another sweet kiss to her neck, then another, and another, until Tilar was biting her lip against the unfamiliar sensation

Reno tightened his grip around Tilar's waist as his sensual kisses grew more and more insistent. He'd began to move across Tilar's throat when he felt a wet drop on his bare shoulder. Looking up in confusion, his face took on a surprised look at the sight that greeted him.

"Hey.." He cooed, reaching up to wipe away another rebel tear. Fortunately for him, these were the only two. But Tilar's eyes were still glossed with more threatening to fall.

"What with the waterworks..?" He whispered quietly, affectionately caressing her jaw line.

Tilar closed her eyes against him and reached up to place a hand over his.

"This is suicide..." She whispered hoarsely. Reno furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What is, Ty? What are you talking about?"

"This." Tilar replied. "Us. You're a liability Reno, I can't have someone like you getting in my way..... not when I'm so close."

Reno placed his free hand on the other side of her face and gently pulled her down to him, placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm not going anywhere. You've been alone for too long Tilar and one thirteen year old, fourteen now I guess, doesn't count. I told you I'm not letting you go and I mean it. That bastard is our business now too and we're gonna take him down together."

Tilar clenched her teeth and swallowed but said nothing else.

"Hey, look at me."

After a slight hesitation, Tilar's eyes slowly lifted and Reno starred deep into the bright, green orbs.

"I'm not going anywhere." He repeated firmly. Tilar gave him a painful look, one mixed with emotions, but her arms slipped around his neck and hugged him tight, her head leaning down to rest on his shoulder.

Reno nuzzled her neck again and resumed his task of placing soft kisses there. This time Tilar shivered, still biting her lip to hold back anything else. Reno pulled back from her and encouraged her face to life from his shoulder. He pressed a tender kiss to her lips and Tilar greedily returned it. Slipping his arms down around her waist, Reno lifted Tilar and rolled them both over, placing her down on the bed while he hovered over her. With a loud snap of his fingers, the light over their heads went out leaving only the beside lamp to shed a dim light over the room. Reno moved down until he was laying on his side and pulled Tilar tight to him, cradling her in his arms. The two stayed that way for hours, Tilar momentarily leaving her thoughts behind as Reno kissed them away.  


* * *

  
(1) EMR -- Reno's rod-weapon thingy, I can't remember what it's called so I'm gonna call it this (Electro-Magnetic Rod). How original huh? lol.


	10. An Eye For An Eye

**A/N:** OK so.. it's not QUITE as long as I'd thought but it's still pretty long. Besides, this chapter is jam-packed with... interesting stuff. It's a bit violent and a little angsty, but highly necessary. Hope you guys like it.

**Disclaimer****:**I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

"Reno, you can't just go around picking fights with people! You're going to get one of us killed! I'm sick and tired of always having to pull your ass out of those stupid messes!"

"Well no one ever said you had to pull me out! I was doing just fine without you!"

Rude, Elena, Cloud, Tifa, TJ and Marlene all stood back and watched as Tilar and Reno had the argument of the century.

"Yea, you looked like you were doing fine!" Tilar said sarcastically. "Your definition of 'fine' is a helluva lot different than mine!"

"Oh fuck you!" Reno snapped angrily. "You think you're so tough and so great because of all your _wonderful _skills, but-"

"Hey! She is tough, and great!" TJ cut in angrily. Tilar gave him a weary look.

"Not _now_ TJ. Stay out of it!"

Reno ignored him and continued.

"Well you're no better than me! You wouldn't survive five minutes in some of the fights I've been in!"

"No, not with some of the thugs you pick fights with! And neither would you if we didn't pull you out all the time! You could have killed us both today Reno! Or is that what you wanted? Finally rid of me so you can have your life back?"

Reno gaped at Tilar for a minute, shock and surprise written all over his face at the unexpected comment. Eventually, he finally spoke again.

"I can't believe you..." He said dumbfounded. Then his face contorted in anger again. "I can't believe you'd even say that! Yes Tilar, that's exactly what I wanted!" He yelled sarcastically.

"Yea, well... I wouldn't be surprised!" Tilar replied, ignoring the stung feeling. "I mean hey, then everything in your life would be back to normal again. Everything all perfect just like before, am I right Reno?"

Reno's face darkened and he gave Tilar the cruelest look any of them had ever seen.

"_Perfect_?" He hissed coldly. "My life, perfect? You don't know a DAMN thing about my life and the shit in it!"

Reno walked up to Tilar until there was barely an inch between them, then narrowed his eyes in the harshest glare imaginable.

"You know what?" He hissed viciously. "That's it! That's _exactly _it. Yea, that's right, I'd _love_ to be rid of you, Tilar! Then my life _would_ go back to normal. No more you around to yell at me and bitch at me and make everything harder! So go ahead Tilar, do us all a favour and go get yourself killed. That'll solve everyone's problem!"

"RENO!" Tifa and Elena shrieked in shock, the same time Cloud lunged at him.

Rude and Tifa held Cloud back and Reno ignored them all as he stormed out of Seventh Heaven, nearly tearing the door from it's hinges in his rage.

Unlike everyone else, TJ starred silently after Reno, and after a few minutes, he spoke.

"Why would Reno say something like that...?" He asked sadly.

"Cause he's a bastard." Cloud spat in disgust. Tifa elbowed him harshly.

"He didn't mean it, did he Tifa?" TJ asked, quite upset that his idol and mentor had been so cruel to the person who meant the most to him in the world.

"I don't know hun..." Tifa replied softly.

Everyone was quiet as they starred at Tilar, who had her back turned to them all. Eventually she broke the silence.

"I'm leaving tonight." She announced emotionlessly, then she walked through the door, ignoring the protests and people yelling after her.

* * *

Tilar's face was set in a deep frown as her multitude of thoughts and emotions swirled around in her head.

_"Did he mean what he said?"_ She thought painfully. _"Does he really not care about me?.. But then... why say all the things he did? It doesn't make sense!!"  
_  
Tilar clenched her teeth as she expertly pushed back her tears and emotions.

_"I've had enough. I'll leave the TURKS and all these people behind.... TJ can stay if he wants, he's old enough now to make that decision on his own. I'll leave tonight and go somewhere I've never been, somewhere no one knows me. I can protect myself so I'll be fine on my own. Besides-"_

Tilar froze in her tracks as she heard something snap close by -- Someone was following her. She cursed at not having heard or sensed them approaching before and scolded herself for allowing her thoughts to consume her so thoroughly.

"Who's there?" She hissed, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the scene around her.

Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Tilar growled.

"Show yourself!" She yelled angrily.

There was a rustle in the bushes and Tilar whipped around to face them, taking up a defensive stance to prepare for a fight. Suddenly something burst from the bushes and Tilar relaxed in shock as a tiny figure shout out from them and attached itself to her waist.

"Don't go Ty! I need you here with me!"

Tilar sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around her brother.

"T, I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I'll probably just go away from a while... I need some time to think."

"But you can think here!"

Tilar sighed in exasperation as she knelt down in front of the boy.

"TJ, look, I-"

But again the woman froze as a sickening feeling washed over her. Someone was coming, but this time it was different. This time there would be no little children bursting from the bushes to hug her, no animal to make her laugh at her own paranoia. No, this time was something much more sinister.

Tilar stood up and looked into the trees, somehow knowing that that's where the danger would come from. As if on cue, a huge, bulky frame emerged from the trees. Tilar scowled and her body tensed in response to the new arrival.

"Get behind me TJ." She hissed, pushing her brother behind her back. The boy obeyed, for once, and moved behind his sister, peeking out around her to see what was happening.

"You!" Tilar hissed, recognising the man instantly.

"Well, well, lookie here." The man smirked, his thick accent dripping with sarcasm. "Looks like we got lucky. And here we thought we'd just get the one 'a yeh. Lucky us."

Tilar bared her teeth at him.

"Do you always refer to yourself as 'we'?" She mocked angrily. The man smirked.

"Course not, that'd mean I was a real nut case wouldn't it? By _we_, of course, I mean my friends and me. You remember them don't ya?"

Tilar looked around and scowled harder. She wrapped her arm protectively around TJ as men of all shapes and sizes began emerging from the trees like bugs out of the woodwork.

"How could I forget." She seethed. The man smirked again.

"What's wrong mate? No pretty lil chopper to rescue you this time? Never got in a tizzy wit your redheaded mate did yeh? That's too bad. Looks like you're on your own then."

Tilar glared at the man furiously, then gave TJ an encouraging shove without looking at him.

"TJ, run." She said firmly.

"But-"

"Run damn it!" Tilar yelled. "For once in your damned life, listen to me!"

TJ swallowed as tears rushed to his eyes. With a single nod, he turned and ran through the trees, away from the men and his big sister.

Surprisingly, no one chased the boy, they instead inched closer to Tilar. Seeing the slight surprise flicker in her eyes, the man before her smirked.

"Don't you worry sheila. We'll hunt him down, just like we hunted you down... just like we always do."

Tilar growled and clenched her fists at her side, again cursing herself for her brash decision to storm off without bringing any sort of defense. For the first time in her life, Tilar felt helpless.

"You'll have to get past me first." She growled.

The men around her all began to laugh. They were the same men working for the guy after her and TJ, and also the same men who'd stopped TJ on his bike when they'd first arrived at Seventh Heaven. The one before her, the man who always gave her such a tough time, was the only one who seemed to be virtually indestructible. His name, she had not so long ago learned, was Mitch. Plain and simple, a perfect stereotypical name for someone of his stature. He was by no means a brute, despite his appearance, and was surprisingly reasonable and fair. However, those qualities only appeared if one agreed with him and his purpose; and Tilar didn't quite feel like turning herself and her brother in freely to be tortured and murdered.

With another hearty laugh, Mitch drew a rather large weapon from his back, one Tilar had no idea the identity of. It looked rather like a cross between a massive club and and a blade. Following his lead, the men all around soon followed suit and drew their own weapons as well.

"Don' worry mate, that won't be a problem."

Tilar glared at the man confidently but knew, inside, that this was the end of the line for her. The only thing she could do now was buy TJ enough time to get far away.

* * *

TJ starred with wide eyes from his spot high up in the tree tops. The gruesome, gory scene below was terrifying and tears streamed rapidly down his face from his helplessness. He knew he would be no use to his sister and to go back to her would kill them both; and to do that would be a wast of Tilar's sacrifice for him. So, against everything in his mind screaming to do something, TJ sat in the tree, covering his mouth and biting back a scream each time Tilar was struck a flesh-searing blow.

After what felt like years, the men beating Tilar -- beating because try as she might, the female TURK could barely deliver a single blow as men came at her from all sides -- finally stopped, and Tilar's body finally slipped to it's knees before falling forward face first into a pool of her own blood.

With barely a scratch upon any of them, the men all backed away from Tilar and Mitch walked up to the woman and knelt in front of her, a strangely grim look on his face.

"Wish it didn't have to be this way love." TJ heard him say. The man's voice was quiet but rough, and in the dead silence, it seemed like it could have carried for miles.

"Really do hate beatin' up on women and children, but a job's a job. Just too bad you're such a spitey lil' bugger. But then, thas what I always liked about yeh."

Mitch reached down and placed two fingers to Tilar's neck. After a few moments he frowned and pulled them away.

"Well, no point in talking to meself is it?"

Standing up, Mitch's eye's never left Tilar's broken and lifeless body as he spoke to his men.

"Job's done boys. Spread out!" He barked, a slightly saddened tone to his voice. "The lil' tike couldn't a got that far. And don't touch 'em when yeh find 'em, bring 'em straight da me."

With nods and words of confirmation, the men all turned and headed off into the woods again.

Mitch's frown deepened and he knelt down to Tilar once again. Placing a hand on one of her mangled shoulders, he softly said something TJ didn't hear before standing up once again. He looked around the scene, and TJ held his breath as Mitch's gaze scanned the area. The boy threw his hands over his mouth to hide his gasp as the buff man's eyes stopped and lingered on him. With a thundering heart, TJ forced himself not to breathe as he waited for the inevitable. But, just when he thought he couldn't hold his breath any longer, Mitch turned away from TJ and finally headed off into the woods after his men.

TJ let out his breath in a long, slow hiss as he sat in the tree and waited. He waited for what felt like forever until he finally decided he could wait no more and jumped from his tree at last, bolting out into the clearing and dropping on his knees next to his sister. His sobs and tears could be restrained no longer as they both poured from him heavily.

"Ti- .... Ti- ........ Ti-.."

But the words couldn't seem to be able to break through his sobs. Leaning down and throwing his arms around her, his sobs increased to an almost hysterical state as he began to hiccough from lack of air.

It was when he felt a strangled movement below him that TJ finally realized that Tilar was not dead, but she was not far from it either.

* * *

As Tilar laid on the ground, literally drowning in her own blood, she looked at TJ with her very last glimpse of consciousness.

"TJ... run..." She breathed hoarsely. Then her eyesight fled.

TJ starred at his big sister with huge, dewy eyes. He then held her tighter and buried his face in her bloodied shoulder.

"I won't leave you! You can't make me!"

Tilar couldn't see TJ, but she could faintly hear him and feel him. No, this wouldn't do at all! He should be gone, he'd be killed if he stayed. Thinking this thought, she began to panic.

"TJ... Go!" She whispered forcefully.

"No! I don't want to leave you alone! You'll die!"

"So will you!" Tilar snapped. Then her voice softened. "Remember what I told you?"

TJ swallowed as his sisters words from not so long ago flooded back into his memory and he knew that those were the ones she was talking about.

_"One day we're gonna be free T. I mean really free. We'll be rid of that bastard for good, one way or another, and we can live in peace without looking over our shoulder and watching each others back all the time...... We'll get him TJ, and then we'll have a normal life again and be able to actually live it. We deserve it."_

A mighty sob escaped TJ's lips and he nodded, which Tilar could feel.

"Right. But that can only happen if you live. Do you understand?"

Another nod.

"Good. Now go!"

"But-"

"GO!!"

TJ starred at his sisters mangled body, then squeezed her gently but tightly.

"I love you sis..." He choked painfully. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek and stood up, starring at her for another few moments. Tilar still sensed his presence so she gathered up all her remaining strength to yell at him.

"I SAID RUN DAMN IT!!"

TJ took a few hesitant steps backwards, tears streaming down his face, then he gave his sister one final glance before turning on his heels and bolting away.  
Tilar listened to TJ's steps until she could hear them no more.

_"I love you too TJ..."_ She thought painfully. A pair of tears slipped from her eyes and she finally allowed the darkness to claim her.  


* * *

TJ was running so fast, and his vision was blurred from tears so much, that he had absolutely no idea where he was going -- only that he had to run. He ran for what felt like eternity, but never grew tired, or at least, if he did, he didn't notice it. All he could think about was the scene he'd just witnessed.

TJ had been running so long that he'd forgotten he was doing so. So naturally, he wasn't watching where he was going.

"Gotcha!" A male voice shouted as arms wrapped firmly around him.

"Let me go!" TJ screamed tearfully, wriggling and squirming to try and escape. "Let me go or I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you this time you bastard!"

The man's grip loosened and he placed a hand on each of TJ's shoulders.

"Woah! Easy buddy, it's me, Reno! What happened?... Where's your sister?"

When he realized who had stopped him, TJ stopped resisting and broke down into a fit of tears. This sent Reno into a fit of panic. He knelt down in front of the boy and starred into his face.

"What?! What is it?! What happened?! ... TJ, calm down and tell me what happened!"

It was only then that Reno noticed TJ was covered in blood and his panic rose immensely.

TJ took a few deep breaths and tried to hurriedly explain what had happened.

"After you and her had that fight, she got all upset and left, so I followed her. Then these guys showed up with huge weapons, but she didn't have anything. Tilar was no match for all of them so... s-so...."

Reno tried to be patient, but it just didn't work. He shook TJ by the shoulders and looked into his eyes to encourage him to continue.

"So what?! What happened TJ?!"

TJ sniffled and attempted to continue.

"...So.... I- I think they killed her....!"

Reno felt his heart stop.

"No...." He whispered in horror. He sat there for a few seconds, then stood up and lifted TJ onto his back.

"Tell me where to go TJ!"

TJ nodded and Reno took off.

* * *

After a far too long run, Reno reached Tilar's mangled, bloodied corpse and halted in his tracks. TJ quietly slid from Reno's back as the man looked around in horror at the charnal house-like scene. Then he saw her. Laying there in a sea of her own blood, was poor Tilar's broken, mangled, mass of a body.

Reno slowly walked over to her and starred down at her in shock. Then he fell to his knees.

"No... please no..." He whispered as tears quickly flooded his eyes. He was absolutely terrified and could not bring himself to check if his worst fears were real; whether or not Tilar was already gone.

Reno now felt his heart shatter. It felt as if someone had plucked it right from his chest and crushed it violently with bare hands. He starred at Tilar for a few seconds, then pulled out his cell and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone answered.

"Rude, bring me my car... I think Tilar's been killed..." Reno nearly choked on his words and they tore him apart as they ripped from his mouth. There was a few seconds silence before an answer.

"Wh-what.....?!"

"You heard me!" Reno barked. "Now hurry up!"

He then spat out quick directions and hung up before Rude could respond.

Reno starred down at Tilar for a few seconds, then finally broke down. He reached down and wrapped his arms around Tilar, pulling her into his lap and tight to his chest. He then laid his face against her blood-stained one, rocking her back and forth as his body raked with sobs and tears cascaded like thick rivers down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry..." He choked thickly. "I'm so sorry... this is all my fault..."

Then he remembered his last words to her and cried harder.

"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it... I don't want you to die! Please don't die Tilar, _please_! Please don't leave me..."

There was a long pause as Reno gathered his thoughts. It had seemed so hard to say before and he had never imagined uttering the words to absolutely anyone. But they seemed so trivial now and fell from his lips with ease.

"I love you Tilar!" He choked thickly. "I love you so much....!! Please don't leave me..."

Reno hugged Tilar tight and clung for dear life, not willing to let go.

Meanwhile, a broken-hearted, crying little boy stood close by, unable to decided which was more tragic; his sisters death, or the fact that that's what it had taken to force Reno to finally confess his love for her.

* * *

Tilar blinked as she awoke and suddenly shielded her eyes against the harsh light. When they finally adjusted, she blinked again at her surroundings. Pure white surrounded her and she saw nothing else. Attempting to get up, Tilar found that her body couldn't move, all she could do was look around in confusion as she wondered what was going on.

"Where am I...?" She whispered to herself. As if in answer to her question, a voice spoke to her.

"That's not the right question. Try another one."

Tilar looked around in attempt to locate the source of the soft, song-like feminine voice. But, despite her efforts, she still couldn't move.

"What question am I supposed to ask?"

"Not that one. Try again."

The voice was almost teasing but soothed Tilar beyond anything she'd ever felt.

"Alright.... what am I doing here?... Am I dreaming?"

"That's two, but good questions. No you're not dreaming."

Tilar mulled the words over in her mind before speaking again.

"What am I doing here?" She repeated.

"You'll find out. Wanna try another one?"

Tilar swallowed hard, not sure if she wanted to know the answer to the next question.

"Am I... am I dead?"

There was a long silence but eventually the voice returned.

"Yes."

Tilar's heart sunk.

"So I'm in... heaven, or hell or whatever."

A soft, melodious laughter was heard before the voice spoke again.

"No." It said kindly. "You're... let's say, waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Tilar asked immediately.

"Waiting to see where you'll go."

Tilar felt her frustration grow.

"Stop being to cryptic." She said firmly, unable to be angry with the voice. "Please, what do you mean? What am I waiting for? Where am I waiting to go to?... What decides where I'm going? Are you weighing out all the good and bad I've ever done?"

Again the beautiful laughter caressed Tilar's ears.

"No, not quite. We're waiting to see if you'll move on or if you can return."

Tilar's eyes widened and she struggled to move, needing to see the woman -- for she was sure that it was a woman -- whom was talking to her. She was again met with frustration as she found she was still paralyzed.

"What do you mean return? I'm dead, how can I return? You mean to live again? What decides it? Please, I'm begging you, tell me!"

As if some great weight had been lifted off of her, Tilar felt her body's strength return to her. She sat up with relief, but was still surrounded by nothing but white. Looking around, she still saw no one. With a mighty sigh, she opened her mouth to speak but the voice again returned.

"Turn around." It said softly.

Tilar turned around and starred dumbfounded. Before her eyes, displayed as if on the huge screen in a theater, was an image of Reno, cradling her bloodied and broken body in his arms while he wept.

"I'm sorry..." He sobbed through his tears, his body trembling violently. "I'm so sorry... this is all my fault."

There was a small pause as Reno seemed to have thought of something before he began to cry harder.

"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it... I don't want you to die! Please, don't die Tilar, _please_! Please don't leave me..."

Reno's face was smeared with blood that was not his own as Tilar felt her heart breaking over and over while she watched him. Unconsciously, her hand reached out to the man she'd never be able to reach as tears streamed heavily down her own cheeks for the first ime since she was a child.

"Reno..." She choked painfully. "Don't cry for me... Don't cry for me...."

Suddenly Reno's voice broke through the sobs again and Tilar's heart stopped at the words he choked out.

"I love you Tilar! I love you so much....!! Please don't leave me..."

Tilar's eyes squeezed shut and her teeth clenched together as her fist pounded the invisible floor below her.

"NO!" She cried out painfully. Her body fell forward then onto the ground as it raked with sobs as well.

"It's not fair!" She cried in despair. "Why let me taste it if it was only going to be taken away from me?!"

Tilar forced herself to sit up again and look back to the screen, her vision blurred so badly she could only see splotches of crimson red and darkness, one of which she knew was Reno's vibrant hair. Crawling towards the image, Tilar stretched her hand out again, but before she could reach it, it disappeared.

"Well, that's it." The voice from before said happily.

Out of nowhere, the silhouette of a woman's figure appeared before her. Tilar blinked rapidly so she could see the woman, but her tears were still streaming down her face, making it impossible. The woman bent a little and stretched out her hand to Tilar.

"Come on, let's get you home. Say hello to everyone for me won't you?"

Tilar took a hold of the woman's hand and felt herself being hoisted to her feet before the darkness claimed her once again.  


* * *

"Where am I...?"

"Tilar?! Tilar!! Renoooo!!! She's awake!!"

Tilar cringed against the loud, unidentifiable voice but couldn't seem to open her eyes to look at the source. Her head pounded more violently when she heard multiple pairs of footsteps pounding towards her, followed by a sound that was unmistakeably a slamming door.

"Tilar!"

Seconds later, Tilar cried out in pain as she felt a small pair of arms envelope her, ones she knew very well to belong to her younger sibling.

"TJ! Easy!" She hissed through clenched teeth.

"Sorry!" He said guiltily, releasing her immediately. But from the wetness left on her cheek, the woman could tell he was crying. Again she cursed whatever was over her eyes preventing her from opening them.

"How... how are... how are you...?"

Unable to ask the question, Tilar sighed lightly at what was unmistakably Tifa's voice.

"There was a woman..." She said softly.

"What do you mean? A woman?" Tifa asked, confusion dripping off her every word. Tilar frowned.

"I mean a woman... I was in a place... a place completely void of everything, it was just white. Then there was a voice, a female voice. She had a beautiful voice.... she told me I was dead-"

"You _were_ dead!" TJ interrupted with a sob.

Tilar sought out the boy's hand and when she felt his tight grasp, she gave it a gentle, encouraging squeeze and spoke again.

"She told me I had to wait and see if I was allowed to come back. When I asked her what she meant, she showed me-"

Tilar's voice cracked and she stopped, unable to finish the sentence. She then felt someone take her free hand and give it an encouraging squeeze.

"What did she show you?" Asked a soft voice that was undoubtedly Cloud's.

Tilar swallowed hard as her face contorted with pain. She felt a tear slide down her cheek from under her closed eyes and swallowed hard again in attempt to finish.

"She showed me my body, and..... and.. Reno..."

A sickening silence fell over the room and after a long while, the woman felt someone else sit next to her on the bed and Cloud's hand disappeared as she felt him stand. Another hand replaced his and the new person moved until they were right next to her.

"What did you see?" A new voice whispered.

Tilar's throat constricted and her currently feeble heart pounded as she immediately recognized the voice.

"I saw you.." She choked out in a low whisper. "I saw you holding me... talking to me.... crying."

A wet drop fell onto her hand and Tilar knew a tear had escaped Reno's eye.

"What did I say?" He whispered, his voice laden with pain.

"You said.... you told me...."

Tilar again stopped, unable to say what she wanted. This time Cloud spoke again.

"What did she look like...?" He asked softly, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

Tilar shook her head.

"I don't know." She said honestly. "I was- .. my vision was blurred... I couldn't pick her out. She was really.. nice though. She held her hand out to me and pulled me up. That's when I blacked out and woke up here."

Tilar paused a moment before she remembered something and spoke again.

"She... told me to say hello to everyone for her..." Tilar whispered softly, beginning to sound like a fool for her confessions. But then, they'd told her she'd been dead, so it must have been real. Finally forced to believe it was, Tilar's frown deepened, but a strangled sob from somewhere in the room interrupted her thoughts from going any further.

"Aerith..." Cloud's distinctive voice choked out.

Heavy footsteps followed the single-spoken word, accompanied by another, smaller set. Tilar could only assume that Cloud had left the room and someone, most likely Tifa, had followed him. To ease the tension, TJ decided to ask about something that had been bugging him ever since it happened.

"Tilar.." He whispered carefully. "What.... do you know what Mitch said to you after all the other guys were gone?"

Tilar swallowed as she remembered the words TJ was talking about.

"Yea." She said quietly. "He told me he'd be waiting for me.... and he said our last fight would be a fair one, just me and him."

Tilar sighed and absently turned her head up to the ceiling.

"I don't think he expected me to die. He knew I'd live and that I'd be after him. He lied to his men about me being dead.... I think he's sick of all the bloodshed and death and wants it to end. There must be something trapping him to that bastard and keeping him from just walking away. He expects me to come after him."

TJ starred in awe.

"He... he left you alive on purpose?"

Tilar nodded.

"Yes. I'm not sure why just yet, but I intend to find out."

Another silence fell over the room and Tilar shifted uneasily. She didn't like the silences one bit.

Now knowing that the room was emptier but not knowing how full it was, Tilar unconsciously squeezed both hands holding hers.

"Who's here?" She questioned, cursing herself, not for the last time, for not being able to answer the question for herself.

Again a sickening silence fell over the room, this one heavier and longer then any before it. Tilar felt herself squirming under the pressure until she couldn't take it any more and finally broke it herself.

"Well? Is anyone going to answer me?"

Reno shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"What do you mean who's here, Ty?"

Tilar clenched her teeth angrily, steadily growing weary of everyone's questions.

"I _mean_, who's here?! Who's in this room, or place, or whatever. Who else is here with us?"

There was again another pause but Reno soon spoke again.

"Well... there's TJ and me, and Rude and Elena, and Tseng and Marlene..."

Tilar frowned again as she noted the persistent silence. Finally she huffed angrily and forced herself to sit up, biting back a cry from white-hot pain as every bone, muscle and inch of flesh on her body seared with it. Finally having gotten up into the position she wanted on the bed she was obviously on, Tilar leaned back against the multiple pillows and scowled at anyone and everyone in general.

"Why do you insist on the silence!! What are you not telling me?!"

"There's nothing we're not telling you, Ty.." Reno whispered, barely audible. "But.... can't you see us?"

Tilar furrowed her brows.

"Of course I can't." She snapped. "I can't open my eyes."

The mattress sunk again as another person sat down with her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Tilar..." Came Elena's smooth voice. "Your... your eyes _are_ open."

Tilar's face contorted in horror.

"No.." She said in disbelief. "No.. no they're not.. I can't see you. If they were open I could see you... they can't be open!! You're lying!! You're _lying_!!!"

A sob escaped TJ's lips beside her and his grip on her hand tightened.

"But she's not lying Ty." He choked in despair. "Your eyes are open. I'm not lying to you, you know I wouldn't!"

Tilar roughly shook the three off, ignoring the immense agony the effort took.

"NO!" She screamed, pressing her hands to the sides of her head as if to block them out. "NO!!! I can't be- I can't be-"

Tilar threw her head back and screamed out in agony, a pain that far surpassed the physical agony her body was in. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was blind and would never see again. As payment and privilege for being allowed to come back, Tilar would have to learn to live and do without the one thing she needed and made her who she was. Without her sight, she was in every way, shape and form, utterly useless.

Heavy sobs could be heard from her right as TJ cried and watched his sister helplessly, unable to decide what to do.

On her other side, Reno leaned over and pulled the despaired woman tight to him, tears streaming down his own face as he held her while she screamed blue murder and slowly fell apart at the seams.


	11. Blind Love

**A/N:** Here's the next one guys, hope you like it. It's not as bloody or gory as the last one, but still a little violent. Just a little. You've been warned.

BTW: I didn't mean to make Yuffie the bad guy here, and technically she isn't, just letting you all know that in case you feel that I have. Despite the fact that I think she's extremely annoying and irritating, I like her, so don't think just because of her part in this chapter that I don't. :)

**Disclaimer:** I do no own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

Yuffie huffed from her spot at the bar. She had come to visit Tifa, Cloud and the others for a happy reunion, but had received a sort of surprise instead. She'd met Tilar and her little brother TJ and had been filled in on everything that had been happening lately. Now, after a lot of convincing, the master thief had somehow been convinced to stay behind with the blind woman while the others all went out to do some errands, promising to be back ASAP to spend more time with her.

Yuffie glared up at the clock on the wall with a pout. Sure, Tilar seemed like a pretty cool person -- from what she'd heard -- but she wasn't overly fun, least of all now. But then, one could hardly blame the woman after what she'd just recently gone through. This thought came to Yuffie with immense guilt as she turned her head and looked towards the stairs with a sympathetic look. With another sigh she scanned over the small box of materia she'd brought with her and fingered the round objects lovingly. She knew the others wouldn't be much longer and that she shouldn't be bitter about being left behind. After talking to her, Yuffie found that she liked Tilar and that they had a few things in common. Tilar had even shown her some pictures that meant a lot to her -- though it had taken Yuffie a while to find them as Tilar wasn't exactly sure where they were. At the moment however, Tilar was sleeping and Yuffie had told her to give a holler if she needing anything.

So, there she was, sitting all alone at the empty bar. While she might not have thoroughly enjoyed the idea of errands and shopping with the others, she would have liked to have_ someone _stay behind to keep her company.

The clock had just struck two pm and she'd just let out another mighty huff when Yuffie's ears prickled. Her face turned curiously towards the door to Seventh Heaven as a wide grin spread across her face with the anticipation of her friend's return. When the door opened however, Yuffie's grin faded again to another bored frown. She turned in her chair again and starred back at the wall.

"Sorry, bar's closed for the day." She said flatly.

The man who'd just walked in smiled at her.

"I'm not here for the bar." He said in a smooth, fluid voice.

Yuffie turned back to him with interest, noting now that he was very handsome. Short blonde hair dressed the top of his head and bright, blue eyes shone beneath perfectly, neat bangs. The man's skin was fair and long lashes framed said beautiful eyes. He was dressed well in casual, light blue denims and a white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows while fancy looking shoes added a casual, yet business-like touch. A pair of nice, black sunglasses completed the outfit, hanging from the dress shirt which was unbuttoned part-way at the top.

Looking back up at the man's face after her inspection, Yuffie narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Why are you here then?" She asked slowly. The man's smile softened and a deep sadness shone in his eyes.

"I'm a very old friend of Tilar's..." He said softly. "I heard about her.... misfortune and wanted to pay her a visit."

Yuffie continued to stare at the man, trying to decided whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally she crossed her arms with an indignant snort.

"I don't believe you. Prove it."

Without hesitation, the man reached into his pocket, causing Yuffie to tense in response, but instead of pulling out a gun or weapon, he pulled out a wallet. Walking over to the woman at the bar, the man opened the wallet and turned it to her, revealing a picture to her. As soon as he was beside her, Yuffie immediately smelt a familiar scent. She knew she'd smelled this scent before but couldn't for the life of her think where it was from. Mentally shaking her head, Yuffie brushed the thought aside and looked down at the picture.

"This is a picture of Tilar, Tj and myself when we were kids.... that was before..."

The man's voice cracked and a deeply sorrowful look took hold of his face. Yuffie eyed him for a moment, then looked down at the picture. She starred at it, a little surprised when she found that she recognized the picture. Tilar had shown her an exact duplicate earlier that morning.

------

"Who's the blonde guy?" Yuffie asked curiously. "In the picture with you and TJ.... You all look kinda young and you're on the beach."

Tilar smiled sadly as her blank eyes starred aimlessly at the ceiling.

"That's Ryan Truesdale." She said fondly. "He and I used to be the best of friends... but that was before..."

Tilar's face shadowed in a deep sadness as she recalled the memory.

"Before what...?" Yuffie prodded in a whisper.

"Before... something terrible happened." Tilar replied. "Before mine and TJ's lives took a turn for the worst."

Tilar suddenly smiled lightly, a still sad smile.

"My parents always teased us about getting married one day. He'd even proposed to me a few times and I, being so young, said yes.... We swore that as soon as we were old enough we'd get married... That day was the last time I ever saw him."

Yuffie frowned as her throat constricted with emotion.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

-----

Yuffie cleared her throat and blinked back the tears as she looked down at the picture in the plastic covering. Handing it back to the man, she looked up at him and handed the wallet back.

"So, maybe I believe you." She said, still a little skeptical. "What's your name?"

The man smiled again as he placed his wallet back in his pocket.

"Ryan Truesdale." He said, the name rolling off his tongue.

Yuffie finally smiled. Looks like Reno might have some competition. Gorgeous, rich-looking man from Tilar's past shows up just when she needs happiness the most, sweeps her off her feet, makes her forget everything that happened so long ago and reminds her of the good times and how they used to feel about each other -- oh yeah, Reno was definitely in trouble. Yuffie had to chuckle at this.

"OK, I believe you." She said with an amused smile. The man seemed to relax.

"Thank you." He said gratefully. "I'd really like to see her again."

Yuffie's smile softened to a kind expression.

"Yea, I think she'll want to see you too... sounded like she really missed you."

Ryan looked around the room before looking back at Yuffie again.

"Where is she?"

Yuffie turned and pointed towards the stairs before turning back to the blonde.

"She's up there, last room on the right."

Ryan nodded and gave Yuffie a rather shy, lopsided smile.

"Thank you. Would it be alright if we were left alone for a while? I'm not really the bravest person in the world and after such a long time of not seeing each other, I'm going to have a hard enough time trying to speak to Tilar at all!.. Let alone if there's someone else there. At least she won't be able to see me blush I suppose..."

Yuffie laughed lightly, noting the slightest tinge of pink already staining the man's cheeks. She nodded and smiled again.

"Sure, I understand. Take all the time you need."

Ryan let out a breath and seemed to relax from his tensed state again as she gave Yuffie a sheepish smile.

"Thank you again! I really appreciate it."

Yuffie nodded again and followed the man with her eyes as he disappeared up the stairs. When he was gone, she turned back around in her seat and smirked. Luck ol' Tilar, a gorgeous man coming to see her to make her feel better, a long lost intimacy now being rekindled, perhaps more powerful then before -- Yep, Reno sure was gonna be mad when he got back.

* * *

Tilar stirred in her sleep. Since the fight and the loss of her eyesight, Tilar's remaining senses had sharpened tenfold, which she'd heard was normal in situations like hers. This was so much more powerful as her senses had already been considerable before the mishap.

Noting the sound of her door opening and closing, Tilar's brows furrowed questioningly.

"Yuffie?" She questioned in wonder. There was no answer, but seconds later, Tilar smelt a very welcoming scent -- a scent that had been created especially for her -- and smiled, her body relaxing at the realization.

"Oh, it's you." She whispered softly.

The man she had been waiting for for what seemed like forever, moved over to her and sat down beside her. She started a little in surprise when he leaned down and pressed a delicate kiss to her lips but she soon melted into it and wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen it.

When they pulled away, Tilar pulled the man close to her and pressed a soft kiss to his neck.

"I missed you." She whispered, her voice dripping with obvious tender love and passion.

As a response, her visitor pressed another kiss to her lips, smiling into it as his hand gently caressed her neck and jawline. Tilar sighed happily as _she_ this time deepened the kiss.

The gentle hands moved from her neck and slowly traced down along her arms, then her sides, until they reached the bottom of her shirt. They slipped up in under the hem and caressed the tender and soft flesh, finger tips sending shivers all over Tilar's untouched body.

Tilar placed her hands over the gentle ones to stop their movement, then pulled away from the passionate kisses to speak to their owner.

"Not yet.." She whispered softly, her cheeks burning ever so slightly. "Give me a little more time."

Soft lips pressed to hers again and Tilar sighed into the kiss as she relaxed. Before she could get the chance to enjoy the feelings being created for her again, the hands previously caressing her reached up and took a hold of her hands, taking both in one of his and pressing them over her head.

Tilar pulled away from the man with a hurt expression.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice full of emotion.

Without a word, the free hand reached down and began pushing up Tilar's shirt again.

"Stop!" She said firmly. "I said no, I'm not ready for this yet."

But the hands continued and Tilar felt her heart break, unable to believe that someone she had allowed herself to love this much was so willing and careless towards her feelings.

"What's wrong Tilar? After all this time, I'd think you'd be more then willing to finally give yourself to me."

Tilar froze as shards of ice shot through her veins. That voice! This man was not the man she'd thought he was.

"No!" She cried, her voice laden with panic. "You're- you're not Reno!"

A sinister laugh followed her exclamation.

"Really? What ever tipped you off? Would you like to _see_ me again?"

The man released one of Tilar's hands and she reached up to feel his face, absolutely disguised that he was smirking, the thing she'd always hated about him.

Recapturing Tilar's hand again, the man resumed his task of undressing her. Tilar opened her mouth to scream but a hand over it silenced her. She began kicking and thrashing about but a hard punch to the side of her face again silenced her. Tears leaked from the corners of Tilar's eyes as she submissively laid under the one person she hated most in the world.

* * *

"Honey, we're home!"

Yuffie turned towards the door of the bar and smiled broadly as her friends all piled through the door, each laden with bags and packages.

"Hey, guess what?" She said excitedly, standing up and jumping in front of them all.

"An old friend of Tilar's came to see her today!"

"That's great!" Tifa said happily. "She needs some cheering up."

TJ looked confused.

"What old friend? What's their name?"

Yuffie looked down at the boy and grinned.

"Ryan Truesdale!"

A look of horror crossed TJ's face.

"That's impossible!" He all but shouted. "He's dead!"

Everyone else's face mirrored TJ's and Reno stepped out from the group to stare at Yuffie.

"What did he look like?!" The redhead yelled urgently.

Yuffie, thoroughly shocked, did her best to describe the handsome man through much stuttering. When she was finished, Reno growled and pushed past her, bolting for the stairs.

"You stupid bitch!" He yelled over his shoulder.

Yuffie was a bundle of emotions.

"Wh-what's wrong?" She stuttered in a panic. "Who is he?"

Elena frowned, a deep expression on her face as well.

"He's the guy we've been after for the past few months." She said solemnly. "His real name is Slade Blackwell."

TJ stomped his foot angrily, his fists clenched tight in front of him as he glared at Yuffie, tears shining in his eyes through his furious expression.

"After all the years we spent running and hiding from him, you lead him right to her!!" He screamed. "You were supposed to be protecting her!!!"

With that said, the young boy flew past the group and up the stairs in record speed.

The remainder of the people in the room rushed past the Yuffie as the thief starred in shock while tears streamed down her face.

* * *

Reno burst through the door of Tilar's room and lunged at the bed. He grabbed the man on top of Tilar and knocked the shocked villain off the other side with a mighty well-placed punch. He lunged after the man again but a frightened peep from the head of the bed caught his attention instead. Leaving the bastard to the people who had just burst through the doors, Reno jumped beside Tilar, who screamed bloody murder at the contact, and pulled her tight to him.

After some hushed, rushed words, Reno finally managed to convince Tilar that it was him and proceeded to hold and rock her, cooing in her ear much the same as he had when she'd first found out she was blind. This time however was much worse and the woman was in fits of hysteria as she bawled and screamed, obviously traumatized. Reno turned a deadly, furious glare on the man, now being pummeled by Rude and Cloud.

Rude hoisted Slade to his feet with the most vicious look anyone in the room had ever seen adorn the TURKS' face.

"How did you find her?" He growled savagely. When all the blonde did was spit blood in his face, Rude punched him in the face again.

The huge TURK threw Slade until he hit the wall with a sickening crack. Cracking his knuckles, Rude made to approach the woozy man again, whom was now attempting to stand, but a loud bang stopped him in his tracks.

Slade slid to the floor, blood trickling down the bridge of his nose from the hole now in the dead-center of his forehead. Seconds later, five more bullets pierced the man, each taking their mark in the same spot in his chest -- his heart.

Everyone in the room, save Tilar -- who was sobbing in fright into Reno's chest -- all fell silent as they turned to the front of the room.

Standing with a gun raised, still firing the now empty weapon only to be rewarded with a cold clicking, was TJ, tears streaming down his face like thick waterfalls.

"Nice shots." Reno said in awe, eventually breaking the silence. This earned him a hard smack uspide the head by Elena, whom was close by.

Elena inched toward TJ until she was next to him. She placed her hand over the gun and the other upon his shoulder.

"Give me the gun TJ." She said softly.

TJ kept firing as if stuck in a nightmare, unable to hear the woman. Elena moved her hand from the top of the gun to cover TJ's forcing him to stop.

"TJ, he's dead. He can't hurt you or your sister ever again."

A mighty sob escaped TJ's lips as he finally relinquished the gun to Elena and threw his arms around her.

Elena pawned the gun off to Rude and wrapped her arms around TJ, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Shhh..." She cooed soothingly. "It's OK buddy, it's OK. It's over, it's all over now."

Rude put the gun in his pocket before looking at Cloud and gesturing towards the body against the wall. Cloud nodded and together the two men hoisted it off the ground and removed it from the room.

After some soothing words to TJ, Elena urged him to follow her and convinced him to leave the room behind. With little more they could do, the others soon followed until only Tifa, Reno and Tilar remained. Elena soon returned, having placed TJ into the custody and care of Rude and Cloud, and sat down on the bed beside the redhead and the traumatized woman.

"This won't happen again!" Reno snarled angrily, still cradling Tilar tightly in his arms. He placed a kiss to the top of her head and placed his cheek there before speaking again.

"Tomorrow this all stops." He said seriously. "If you're gonna have to live like this, then you're gonna learn to deal with it, to know how to get along the way you are. I'm gonna teach you to defend yourself, Ty. You'll be just as good as before, maybe better."

Tilar's grip on Reno's shirt tightened as scatter sobs escaped her lips every now and then, though she had, for the most part, calmed down considerably.

"I think she needs something to help her relax." Elena said softly. "A bath or something...something soothing."

Tifa moved to sit on the bed too.

"That's a good idea. How about it Ty? I really think it'll help"

Elena reached out and placed a hand on Tilar's shoulder, making the blind woman gasp and cling tighter to Reno. Elena's heart wrenched.

"Hey... it's just me.." She said softly, her eyes glazing over.

Gently taking one of Tilar's hands, she encouraged the woman to relinquish her grip on the redhead and moved Tilar's hand to her face.

"See." Elena said, allowing Tilar to feel her face. "It's me see? You know it's me. I'd never hurt you Ty. Please, let us help you..."

Tilar finally let Reno go and Tifa took her other hand, allowing Tilar to identify her as well.

"And me..." Tifa said gently. "I'm here too.."

Tilar swallowed hard and pulled away from Reno. With a questioning look at Reno, the girls received his look of approval and proceeded to help Tilar.

* * *

Hours later, Tilar was sitting in the large, round tub of Seventh Heaven. Her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting atop them, she mulled over the storm of thoughts in her head as her eyes starred without seeing at the wall ahead of her. The previous week had been like a surreal dream -- or rather, nightmare -- that she couldn't quite grasp. Time seemed to be dragging on like dog years and she couldn't help but wonder what she'd done to deserve such a fate.

A soft knock at the door however interrupted Tilar's thoughts and was soon followed by soft footsteps and an equally soft voice.

"Ready to get out?" Tifa asked gently.

Tilar let out a long, slow breath and remained still for a while. No reason for the lack of action, just simply because. Tifa and Elena, whom had also come, both waited patiently until Tilar finally decided to speak.

"Yes, I'm ready." She said, the first words she'd spoken in hours. As a result, her voice cracked slightly and came out a little shaky.

The two woman walked over to the tub and helped Tilar out. Helping her get dressed and ready, the two women brought Tilar to her recently cleaned and tidied room and sat her on the bed. They proceeded to chat and make cheerful small talk with her as they dried her hair for her and did their best to make her feel better. Elena, who's talent wasn't exactly the 'girly' type things, started the topic of missions. Tifa frowned worriedly at this but relaxed as it seemed to be the only thing Tilar was really interested in and which had actually gotten her to talk.

"I don't suppose the President will let me work now will he?" Tilar said rather glumly, replying to one of Elena's comments about their last mission together.

"Um... well, I'm not really sure." Elena said a little uneasily. "I mean, this.. thing, is new to all of us and it'll take some time to get used to. Still, people learn to deal with this kinda thing all the time and I've seen people get along just fine.... Sure things might be a little different, but I'm sure there's still really important stuff you'll get to do."

Tilar nodded but said nothing else. She instead pulled her knees to her chest again and rested her chin atop them.

Elena and Tifa only had time to exchange a sympathetic look before a soft knock at the door prevented any further conversation.

"Come in." Tifa said slowly.

The door opened and Yuffie poked her head in rather shyly. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked about as timid as a mouse --this almost made Tifa laugh as it was the polar opposite of every face and expression she'd ever seen the thief wear.

"Tilar...?" She said softly. "Can I.. can I come in?"

Tilar lifted her head and looked in Yuffie's general direction. She had no idea what the woman looked like and had no idea where exactly in the room she was. Still, she could hear enough to know she'd just come through the door and was smart enough to pick up the sorrow and guilt in the other woman's voice.

"Of course you can." Tilar said emotionlessly -- she had none of that left.

Before the sad woman could speak, Tilar interrupted her.

"I don't blame you Yuffie." She said bluntly. "You had no idea who that man was and he did look a lot like Ryan. Besides, the picture of Ryan was from years ago, there was no way you could have known what he looked like now. You just got here today and shouldn't have been expected to know the severity of the situation. And you should never have been left here alone."

Elena and Tifa couldn't help but feel stung a this, feeling the comment had been directed at the both of them and the others. Still, they knew Tilar was angry and upset and decided to let the comment slide.

Yuffie's lips trembled and she ran at Tilar and dropped to her knees in front of her, throwing her arms around the blind woman. Tilar tensed in response but eventually relaxed a little and reached up to awkwardly pat Yuffie's back.

"It doesn't matter whether you think it's my fault or not, it was!! It was all my fault! I'm so sorry Tilar! If it wasn't for me- I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine." Tilar said bluntly, a slight edge to her voice. "Stop."

Yuffie nodded and let go of Tilar. She leaned back on her knees and wiped her eyes. Before anything else could be said, yet another interruption presented itself.

"Hey Ty, I brought you-"

The redhead in the doorway froze as he starred at the small group. He almost dropped the steaming cup in his hands when he saw the woman sitting before Tilar on the floor and his face contorted in rage.

"You!" He shouted in a rage. "What the hell are you doing in here?! Get out! You have no right to be here!!"

Yuffie's eyes flooded with tears again but she hurriedly got up and scampered out of the room.

"That wasn't necessary Reno!" Tilar said a little angrily.

"I'm sorry you think so." Reno all but snapped. "You might have forgiven her but I can't do that just yet!"

Tilar's frown remained. She was a little ticked off with Reno's anger but she couldn't help but feel slightly flattered and giddy knowing it was because of his protectiveness and care for her.

"Can you give us a little time alone?" Reno asked the girls as calmly as he could, still hearing a slight edge to his own voice.

"Sure." Elena and Tifa replied softly. Leaning over to give Tilar small hugs, they both stood up and left the room.

Reno walked over to the bed and sat down beside Tilar.

"I brought you some coffee.." He said softly.

"Thank you." Tilar replied, reaching her hand out to him.

Reno's heart lurched in guilt and sympathy as he reached out and took her hand, guiding it to the cup. When Tilar had her hands around the cup, Reno sat at the head of the bed and leaned back against the wall. He wrapped his arms around Tilar and guided her back into him. Leaning back into Reno's embrace, Tilar relaxed and closed her eyes as she sipped her coffee.

"I was thinking we could go back to Shinra tomorrow." He almost whispered. Tilar's eyes remained closed -- not that it made a difference -- but she spoke anyway.

"Why?"

Reno took a deep breath and leaned his head forward to rest on Tilar's shoulder.

"Because I want to start... I want you to start learning to deal with this. I want to teach you Tilar."

Tilar considered this for a long time. Finally she took a sip of her coffee and spoke.

"I think that's a good Idea." She replied evenly, making Reno sigh and relax. "I'd really appreciate that Reno. Thank you."

Reno nodded and tightened his grip on the woman. They made small talk, much the same as the girls had done when they were with Tilar, and the female TURK gratefully appreciated the redheads company.

Eventually Tilar finished her coffee and reached over to put it on the end table beside the bed, fumbling and feeling around for a long time before she found it. Reno bit his lip as he resisted the urge to help her, but he knew the woman was proud and extremely independent and it was only a matter of time before she got angry and frustrated; the longer he prevented that, the better.

Soon enough, Tilar found the end table and leaned back into Reno's embrace again. Reno's grip around her tightened again and he leaned ahead to giver her a delicate kiss to the top of the head.

"I know you just had a cup of coffee, but I think you should get some rest. It's been a..... stressful day."

"I think you're right." Tilar replied, frowning at the comment and taking a long breath.

Reno sighed in sympathy and gave the top of her head another kiss, moving then to pull away.

Tilar took hold of the arms wrapped around hers and held tight.

"Stay with me." She said calmly, but Reno noted a very subtle pleading tone under the calm exterior. He smiled, again in sympathy -- never pity -- and turned Tilar's frame in his arms so she was facing him. He gave her lips a chaste kiss and re-wrapped his arms around her.

"Sure, I'll stay as long as you want."

Tilar smiled at him and placed her head on his chest.

"Thank you.." She cooed softly, closing the eyes she hadn't entirely realized she'd opened.

"It's no problem, Ty."

Reno rested his head atop Tilar's and sighed again as he closed his own eyes. He waited until Tilar's breathing had changed, signifying she'd finally fallen asleep, before allowing himself to drift off as well. Coffee or no, Tilar had had a long day and Reno's was barely better. They were both exhausted and neither one of them was going to pass up a chance to finally get some rest -- the only difference was; Reno wasn't about to leave Tilar to do it alone. In fact, he wasn't planning to leave her alone for a very long time.


	12. A Means To An End

**A/N: **Here's the next one guys, hope you like it. Only three more after this one. I know, I know, what else can I write right? Well, you'll see! And don't worry, it'll be worth waiting for! Especially the last one!

PS: I'm sorry, again for the utter lack of detail, but I was kinda rushed and didn't want to bore you guys.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

Tilar's scream filled the air as her bladed staff fell to the ground.

"I can't do this!!" She screamed angrily. "We've been at this for hours and I still can't do anything! I'm totally useless now!!"

Reno ran to the woman and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze before her breakdown went any further.

"You're not useless!" He said firmly. "You can do this Tilar! What happened to the proud, independent woman I used to know, huh? You're like a whole new person now!"

Tilar clenched her teeth and growled at him. She pushed him away from her and clenched her fists at her sides.

"I'm fucking blind!" She screamed savagely. "How the hell do you expect me to be?!"

Reno sighed.

"Well, there's the anger we've all gotten used to." He muttered.

Tilar snarled at the redhead and with lightning reflexes, she hooked her foot in under the staff at her feet, kicked it up into her hands and made a swing at the redhead.

"Woah!" Reno screamed, only having enough time to grab a nearby target to block the attack.

Tilar hit the target dead-on and sliced it in two. Reno starred at the two pieces in his hands in shock before finally looking up at Tilar, who also looked shocked.

"Reno!" She said in a slight panic. "I'm sorry! Did I actually hit you?! I didn't think I'd actually hit you! Reno!"

Reno shook his head and dropped the pieces of the target.

"OK." He said evenly. "Ignoring the fact that I know you're obviously frustrated and angry and I can't imagine how you feel, I'll forgive you this time. Having said that,"

A huge grin split the redheads face.

"I'm glad it wasn't me you hit instead of the target, otherwise, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be standing here right now -- or if I was, I'd be doing it in two pieces."

Relaxing noticeably, Tilar cocked an eyebrow at Reno.

"What do you mean target?"

Reno laughed.

"I grabbed a target and you split it in two. You knew where I was and you concentrated on me and attacked -- that was a little scary I'll admit -- and you hit it dead on!!"

Reno walked back over to the woman and placed his hands on her shoulders again.

"Ya see? If you really concentrate, you'll get this."

Tilar considered this for a minute until she finally straightened and a confident look crossed her face.

"You ready to try again?" Reno asked hopefully. Rilar nodded.

"Yes. And you're right, I'll be just as good as before, I'll make sure of it!"

* * *

Tilar clenched her teeth and seethed. She was sitting on her couch in her apartment brooding and couldn't remember the last time she'd been so angry. Rufus was treating her like a child! Sure, she understood if he didn't let her do the things she used to, that was damn-near impossible, but the things he did give her to do could be done by a child and it was slowly eating away at her sanity.

For over two straight months, Reno had been spending every waking minute with her training, and occasionally Elena, Rude and Tseng would join them or take Reno's place if he couldn't be there. It had taken her a while, but Tilar eventually found that she could do most of the things she could do before. Albeit, some things were a little harder and some were obviously impossible due to her current state, but she was in fact very proud of herself.

However, her employer didn't seem to share in the TURKS' opinions and insisted that he couldn't have a blind agent in the field, it was too dangerous all around and could jeopardise the mission. Tilar seethed again as she remembered the last 'mission' he'd sent her on. This so-called mission included fetching some 'very important' files from the neighbouring building and returning them to Rufus. Another job she'd been assigned was walking one of the other employee's dogs while they were busy. She'd also been given the task of faxing some papers to one of Shinra's partners -- This was considered an important task and showed that Shinra really trusted her and her capabilities -- Yea Right!

_"I'm not a damn secretary damn it!!"_ Tilar thought angrily. _"I'm a valuable field agent!!"_

Finally having enough, Tilar stood up from her couch and stormed to her door, slamming it shut behind her on the way out.

Angrily making her way to Shinra's office -- making a point to take the many stairs just for effect -- Tilar brooded and mulled over the thoughts in her mind as she decided on exactly what she was going to say to Rufus.

After living with her blindness for a while now, Tilar had made it her top priority to re-familiarize herself with every inch of the building and everything in it. This task hadn't taken her long and she made it a point to do at least one round each day or so to note any changes that might have occurred.

When she finally reached Shinra's office, Tilar lifted her hand to knock on the door, but a single word from inside stopped her. Lifting her hand to the door, Tilar slid her hand along solid, supposed-to-be-soundproof object, and realized that it was slightly ajar. So that was why she'd heard her name. Leaning closer, Tilar listened guiltlessly to the conversation going on inside -- guiltlessly because it was about her.

"I don't want her on this mission because it's too personal and in this state, she could easily compromise this mission."

Rufus sighed and Tilar noted the sound of his chair moving. She knew he'd turned it around and wheeled it over to his window because he often did this when he had something to say that he felt guilty about and so didn't want to look at his TURKS.

"I know you all seem to think that Tilar is as good if not better then she was before, and I've seen her training videos and admit that she's very good. Still, those are just targets, and moving or not, they're still, in the end, harmless. Our missions are much more dangerous then the things normal people and other task forces have to face and I simply can't have a blind agent in the field. You have to see where I'm coming from here."

Someone slammed their hand down on what was likely the desk and spoke in a raised, angry voice.

"No! I don't see where you're coming from! I don't understand at all!"

Tilar smiled when she recognized Elena's voice.

"You said yourself that you've seen her, and that it's impressive. Why not give her a chance?! You don't have to start her on this one, just something small, but she does deserve to be part of this one! It's more then just personal, this is the reason she is the way she is -- in more ways then one! It's something she's been part of her whole life and you have absolutely no right to take that away from her!!"

Rufus sighed and turned back to his employees.

"I know you two care for her and I want you to know that I do too, but-"

"The hell you do!" Came Reno's angry voice. "You don't give a damn about her! You don't care if she's happy or content or what she wants or needs at all! All you care about is your precious company and-"

"That's enough!" Rufus boomed, his hands slamming down on his desk as he obviously got to his feet.

"I care about her Reno, just like I care about all of you! But she has no place in this mission or any other ones we might come across and that's final! Now get out of my office and get ready! You leave first thing in the morning!"

A storm of emotions swirled in Tilar's head worse then ever before. She took a deep breath in attempt to deal with them and took a step backwards, attempting to get away from the scene as quickly as possible without being noticed. Unfortunately she tripped over something that hadn't been there before and barely caught herself before she fell. Turning on her heel, Tilar bolted away from the office door in a direct line for her apartment.

* * *

With a mighty bang, the echo of the slammed door resounded through the massive apartment like thunder. It was lucky the apartment was also soundproof because the sound of Tilar's savage scream would have otherwise brought the entire building running.

In an angry rage, Tilar's fists met with anything and everything in her path as she all but destroyed the living room during her rampage. When she had finally calmed down, Tilar walked over to her couch and plopped down on it, burying her face in her hands. For someone who despised crying and most -- in her opinion -- weak emotions, Tilar refused to let herself cry. She'd done too much of it months ago, which had been more then she'd ever done in a lifetime, and she wasn't willing to release any now. Instead she clenched her teeth and fumed.

Soon, the sound of crunching glass met Tilar's ears, no doubt from one of the lamps she'd broken, and she tensed, angry at herself again for not sensing the intruder.

"Who's there?" She snapped angrily.

Seconds later, Tilar smelt a welcoming smell, one that a certain redhead had created especially for her so she'd know it was him. Her thoughts turned a little bitter as she remembered that it had been that exact smell that Slade had used to trick her so many months ago. However he'd gotten into Reno's apartment they'd never know. All they knew was that the balcony door had been unlocked -- which was surprising because the apartment was many stories off the ground.

With a massive sigh, Tilar relaxed, though she was still brooding, and allowed Reno to sit along side her and wrap her in his arms. As usual, unless it was a very intimate moment or something of the such, Tilar didn't return the embrace.

"Don't let his bullshit get to you." The redhead cooed softly in her ear. "You're every bit an agent as the rest of us and you're just as good. You know you are. He's just too proud and scared to admit it."

Tilar scowled.

"It doesn't matter if we know it or not, he's the one who decides whether or not I work!"

Reno let out a small laugh.

"Yea, well, we're going to change his opinion."

Tilar lifted her head and tuned an attentive ear on the redhead.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I've got a mission for you Ty." He said evenly.

Tilar pulled away from Reno and sat up straight now.

"What do you mean _you've_ got a mission for me?"

Tilar felt Reno lean back on the couch.

"Elena and I have been assigned to a mission -- one I think you'll definitely want to be a part of -- and I think you should be given the option of whether or not you want to be."

Tilar raised an eyebrow.

"So what are you saying?" She asked, a tinge of hope bubbling in her chest.

"We're willing to take you along if you want to come -- The President doesn't have to know."

Tilar resisted a smile as she reached over and gave Reno a chaste kiss, a simple gesture that meant, coming from such a serious and nearly emotionless person such as Tilar, that she was grateful and ecstatic beyond words.

"Yes, I want to go. Thank you Reno."

Reno nodded, knowing that Tilar could somehow sense the motion.

"Sure. We're leaving at five am tomorrow morning."

* * *

Tilar's insides were pulsing with adrenaline. The last few hours had flown by her in a blur -- figuratively speaking. She'd made sure to keep quiet when Elena and Reno contacted HQ and did whatever they told her to do during the mission. It hadn't been long before her two partners had been extremely gratefully to have her along. Tilar had saved them from being spotted numerous times, as well as prevented them from falling into a number of complicated traps and alarms. These had been combinations of her now heightened senses and her familiarity with the building they had infiltrated -- one Tilar had hoped to never enter again.

"Where's the room?" Elena asked in a hiss as they floated down a hall.

"Top floor, last one at the back of the hall."

"What about security?" Reno questioned.

Tilar shook her head.

"There's none on the top three floors because the bastard was always arrogant enough to think no one could get past the first few. In his mind, he was a genius no one else could compare to."

Reno snorted in amusement.

"Guess that was his downfall."

"Damn right." Tilar snarled.

The three hurtled up two more flights of stairs until they came to the door Tilar had been talking about. Drawing their weapons, they burst through the door that had been surprisingly unlocked and halted in their tracks.

"You're the only one left!" Elena yelled at the man before them. "Surrender and we'll spare your life! You're boss is dead and everyone else is either dead as well or unconscious! Unless you want to die like them, turn yourself in!"

"Now why would I do that? I waited all this time in this God-forsaken hell-hole for you to come, so why would I throw it all away now just cause you asked me to surrender? Come now Sheila, you gotta come up with somethin' better then that."

Tilar froze as the first words that escaped the man's mouth came to her ears. She knew that voice. She _loathed_ that voice. Mitch.

"You!" Tilar snarled, lifting her bladed staff at him.

"Thas right mate." Mitch said in amusement. "It's me. Glad to see you still remember me. Sorry to hear about your loss though, hope it didn't hinder you too much."

"Don't worry, I can still kick your ass!" She snarled. Mitch laughed.

"Well, that'll be a first. But I'm willing to let you try."

Before another word could be said, Reno and Elena both let out loud screams as they stumbled and swayed dumbly. Tilar growled and waited to be struck as they had. But nothing came.

"What happened?" She yelled, trying to hide her confusion. Mitch chuckled.

"It's a fair fight, just you an' me. Just like I promised."

"What?" Tilar asked, now thoroughly confused.

Reno growled in frustration.

"He threw something in our eyes." The redhead growled in frustration, a small thump following his words as he slumped against and slid down the wall.

"We'll be fine Ty, you can do this... just be careful."

"Ah, they'll be alright." Mitch said. "Just gotta wash it out with water and a good antidote that's all. There's one in the cabinet behind me -- but here's the catch; gotta do it in less then two hours though or the powder'll burn in their eyes out and they'll never see again, much like you. Only difference is, these two aint used to rough 'n tough situations like you are are they? No matter how hard their lives might a been. Nor are they quite and skilled as you are, or as used to ... shall we say; tryin' situations. They won't be quite as useful as you if they're blinded will they?"

"It doesn't matter because we won't get to find out!" Tilar growled angrily. "You wanted a fight Mitch, well you got one! Enough talk! Fight me!"

Mitch snickered.

"Careful what you wish for darlin'."

Tilar braced herself as Mitch's heavy footsteps came at her fast and hard. She dodged just before he struck her and gave him a swift kick in the back. He stumbled a little and Tilar made to strike him but the man quickly whirled around and blocked her, moving to punch her stomach. Tilar pulled her staff away and blocked this too. Despite her handicap, Tiler was as good a match for Mitch as he was for her. This time there was no little brother in the way and no unfair advantage of numbers on Mitch's part. Also, despite the circumstance, both fighters seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly. They'd both waited a very long time for this and for once the fight was fair and both knew that one of them wasn't going to walk away -- Tilar just hoped that person wasn't going to be her, not now, after all she'd been through.

The fight seemed to carry on for what felt like hours, and Tilar found herself desperately hoping against hope that this was only how it felt and not the truth. If not, then Elena and Reno better get used to living like her. Eventually however, Mitch made a fatal mistake by letting Tilar get too close. She faked a shot to his head, then grabbed a knife in her boot and slashed at his chest when he moved to block.

Mitch stumbled back a few feet, holding the gash in his chest, and stumbled to the ground. Before he could move further Tilar's bladed staff was at his throat. He could survive the minor wound to his chest with some aid, but it was unlikely that he would survive Tilar's slash at his throat -- which he silently hoped for.

Mitch laughed.

"Now that was a fight." He said, sounding greatly satisfied. Tilar ignored him.

"How long as it been?!" Tilar growled.

"What?" Mitch questioned, obviously utterly confused. Tilar's blade pressed into his throat.

"How long has it been?!" She repeated again. "How long do they have left until the powder takes effect or whatever?!"

"Oh that, no worries Sheila, it's hardly been two hours. Your mates'll see again. The key to the cabinet is in the top drawer of the desk. It's the bronze one. You put up a real doozy of a fight. I'm proud."

Mitch's playful tone faded and he turned serious.

"Now, it's time to finish me off. End this."

Tilar growled at the man and pressed the blade further into his throat, knowing that she must have drawn blood by now. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to kill him but something, some tiny, insignificant voice deep down inside begged her to spare him. Against all better judgement, Tilar growled one last time and released the man under her blade.

"Too much blood had been spilt on yours and that bastards account! I refused to add to the count!"

There was a long silence until Mitch finally spoke again.

"You're jest like yeh dad." He said, sounding deeply saddened by this comment. "He always had that same compassion like you too; always misplaced and always too much."

Mitch sighed and seemed to shift his position, but he didn't stand.

"Thas what got him killed I says. Told him not to trust that bastard we did, but he didn't listen. 'Give 'em a chance' he said. Look where it got 'em."

Tilar scowled.

"What are you talking about?"

Mitch let out a long, heavy breath.

"Slade ordered the plane to be shot down right after your father refused to give him control of the company. Your father told him he'd have it as soon as he had his affairs in order and had all a you straightened out. Slade didn't like that, so he made sure you and the Truesdales were all on the plane together and aimed te get yeh all in one shot. Thought he'd done it too until those bludgers showed up and threw you two at his feet."

Mitch chuckled and spoke his next words with great amusement.

"Imagine the shock he got when the two smallest people on the flight were the only survivors."

Mitch grew serious again.

"Thas when he sent us out after yeh. The rest is history I guess you could say."

Tilar frowned.

"Why did you stay?" She asked, sounding a little hurt. Mitch shifted again and a long silence followed before he finally spoke.

"He had my wife and daughters." He said softly, his voice cracking slightly.

"Told me if I didn't continue to work for him, I'd never see 'em again.... I got to see 'em when a mission worked but then they were taken away from me again. Told me I'd get 'em back when you and your brother was dead."

Mitch sighed heavily and shifted yet again.

"They was all I had left." The huge man said. His voice was muffled a little and Tilar knew his head was buried his his arms or hands.

"I didn't want to hurt you, I never did, and thas why I never killed yeh. I usually got away with that cause it kept you away for a while so Slade was happy. But then someone would see you somewhere and we'd be sent after yeh again. It was easier to hurt yeh when I knew it was that or death, and it was easier when I got to thinking of me own.... I figured I'd rather see someone else's kids dead over me own."

Mitch sounded like he was crying now, something that stunned Tilar beyond words.

"Then the bastard ordered me to kill yeh, that was the day you got blinded. I knew you weren't dead but I thought you'd stay away and out of reach long enough for that bastard to get what he wanted and let me family go. I knew yeh'd be after us and I'm glad you finally took care of that bastard. I knew you'd still be after me though and I waited for it."

Mitch was openly sobbing now.

"He killed 'em anyway!" He sobbed in sorrow. "When he found out you weren't dead, he killed 'em! I got no one left!!"

Mitch sniffed loudly and shifted again. Tilar knew he was on his feet now.

"Death is the only way for me." He said evenly, his voice thick but confident. "It's my punishment for all I've done... and the only way I'll get to see them again."

Mitch snorted humorlessly.

"Just a pity it's gotta be this way." He said longingly. "I'd rather hoped I'd go out a little more.... what's that they say? Honorably? Ah, well. Not that I deserve it. And beggars can't be choosers 'eh?"

Tilar listened in utter confusion as Mitch shuffled around again, or seemed to shuffling through something; perhaps a bag or his pockets? She only understood his words when he finally spoke again.

"You're a great woman Tilar Handler, and I hope you find the peace you couldn't have because of us. Live one for me 'eh? Cheers mate!"

"NO!" Tilar jumped forward but grabbed thin air.

Seconds later, a loud thump was heard and Tilar was nearly knocked off her feet. She knelt down on the ground and felt around until she felt the huge man's body. Crawling over to him, she felt out his hand and took the item in it from him. Lifting it to her nose, she smelled the bottle and frowned deeply. Mitch had died whether she wanted him to or not. He'd poisoned himself.

"Reno! Elena! Are you alright?" Tilar barked, her voice cracking slightly.

When she got a positive response, she stood up.

"Call in Rufus' people... we're done here."

Reno and Elena did as they were told and Tilar starred down, again unseeing and again cursing the fact, at the man who had been such a big part of, and yet such a burden in her life. As she pictured his huge, limp frame sprawled on the ground before her, she couldn't help but feel a little guilt, sympathy, pity, and regret.

Kneeling down beside him again, Tilar placed a hand on the man's head and closed her eyes.

"I hope you find your peace." She whispered, hoping somehow that he could hear her.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm saying this Tilar, but.... I'm sorry, I was wrong. You're a valuable asset to this team and nothing that's happened to you has changed that. I should be mad at the three of you for disobeying orders -- and I admit, I am a little -- but your doing so might very well have closed this case for us at last. Thank you Tilar and congratulations. I'll expect to see you here bright and early Monday morning."

Tilar knew she should be happy and ecstatic, but she just couldn't find those emotions inside her.

"Thank you sir."

"You're welcome. Dismissed."

Tilar gave the President a low bow and turned to leave the room.

* * *

After visiting Elena and Reno in the hospital wing and being assured that they were both fine and were going to see again, Tilar had gone back to her apartment. She was out on the balcony leaning on the railing and thoroughly enjoying the cool breeze blowing through her hair and over her face. For the first time in her life, she was finally free. And now, she felt it. The feeling was unexplainable and she felt as if the entire world was lifted from her shoulders, as if she was a whole new person, as if she was could do anything -- as if she were invincible.

Somewhere among her mix of emotions and thoughts, Tilar was, admittedly, proud of herself. She knew she wasn't the best agent on the force, regardless of what Mitch or her kid brother may think, or have thought, but she also knew she was valuable too -- blind or no. It was sad that Mitch had to die, further adding to the pool of blood and list of names claimed by Slade's greed and violence, but by the way things had ended, she knew that was going to happen with or without her help. There was no point in dwelling in things she couldn't control and she knew it.

At the perfect timing, Tilar felt a pair of arms circle around her waist, not cursing herself, for once, for not sensing their owner. Reno was not wearing his special cologne and she had been deep in thought. Aside from that, all real, major danger for her was over and her life would be normal from now on -- or at least what she could call normal.

"Hey." A soothing voice cooed in her ear. "I think I owe you my thanks. Not to mention my life."

Tilar smiled and leaned back into his embrace.

"You'd both still be alive, even if I hadn't been there."

"Maybe, but we would have had to pull out. We'd never have gotten to the top without you."

Tilar shook her head.

"Yes you would have, it just may have taken you a little longer."

"No we wouldn't have." Reno argued. "Anyway, we'll never know for sure so just shut up and take the comment."

Tilar chewed her cheek at the playful comment. Had it been anyone else, she wouldn't have bitten their head off for saucing her or telling her to shut up. But, as it was, this wasn't anyone else, this was Reno. And to do that would hurt him a lot more then it would her. So, she simply laughed lightly for the first time in as long as she could remember and turned her head in Reno's direction over her shoulder.

"You're welcome." She said simply.

Reno leaned in and pressed his lips to Tilar's, smiling into the kiss. When they pulled away, there was a very long and awkward silence before the redhead finally spoken again.

"Hey Ty.." The redhead questioned a little uneasily.

Tilar frowned, knowing what was coming was going to ruin her mood completely.

"I know what this day means to you now and that this is the last thing you want to be thinking about, but.... what happened?... In your past I mean..?"

Tilar sighed and hung her head. She'd been hiding such a secret for her entire life and had never once as long as she'd lived, talked about it with anyone. Still, if today was the day of new beginnings, perhaps she needed to fully rid herself of her past, and perhaps talking about it would allow her to finally do that. It couldn't hurt for sure.

"My father had two business partners and together, the three of them owned one of the richest companies in the world. Two of them were the best of friends, but one of them was a little apart from the others -- that man was Slade Blackwell.

My father and his other partner, Mr. Truesdale, were planning to hand over the business to Slade in a few years, when they had their affairs in order and their famlies taken care of. Slade wasn't satisfied with that, he wanted the business now! When the others refused, he set his plan in motion. When my family, along with the Truesdales, went on a vacation, he sabotaged our plane, planning to take us all out at once and kill off any heirs his partners had. His plan failed obviously because TJ and I survived... we were the only ones however, everyone else died.... Including Ryan."

Tilar took a deep breath and expertly pushed back her tears before continuing again.

"He had people stationed all along our route and had them go to us when the plane crashed to make sure there were no survivors. They found us and took us to him, that's when he told us all about his plan and everything he'd done. TJ and I managed to escape, and he managed to catch us time and time again, but we always got away; though admittedly, each time was harder and harder. That's why I was so familiar with the place today.

After I escaped the first time, I went directly to the bank and made sure they knew we were still alive and that we still had -- over half because of the Truesdale's share -- of the company. That really pissed Slade off, but he couldn't do a damn thing about it. After that, we just kept running. We were still running when we first came to Seventh Heaven. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Another long silence ensued as Reno digested everything Tilar had said and Tilar enjoyed the feeling of the removal of the very last heavy weight weighing her down. Finally Reno turned Tilar around and pressed a deep, long, passionate kiss to her lips. Tilar returned it hungrily and sunk into his arms, revelling in the feeling more then ever before, another added bonus due to her new 'free' feeling.

Finally pulling away, Reno laid his head against hers.

"You're really something you know that?" He said admiringly. "You and that spitey little kid brother of yours. You're both a real piece of work... I can't imagine holding through all that in one piece. You should be proud of yourself Tilar."

Tilar smiled.

"I am. But not because of what I've been through, but for what I've managed to do and get in my life. Mostly for being able to allow people like you and the rest of the team into my life. I think that's the bravest thing I've really ever done."

Reno laughed lightly and pressed another chaste kiss to her lips.

"Nice comeback." He said through a smile. He then pulled Tilar closer. "You really are an asset to this team Tilar. Blind or anything else, we're really lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one." Tilar said softly, laying her head on Reno's chest.

Reno placed a kiss to the top of Tilar's head, then leaned down to scoop her up into his arms. For the first time ever, Tilar remained quiet and submissive in the redhead's arms and allowed him to carry her. When he stopped, he laid her down on what she knew was her bed and crawled beside her, pulling her again into his arms.

"I don't know about you, but a nice, long nap sounds pretty good about now. This is a pretty good place to be, I say we spend our weekend right here."

Tilar laughed heartedly for the first time she could ever remember.

"I don't know about the weekend!" She said through a laugh. "But I'll be more then happy to spend the night here with you."

Reno grinned and pulled Tilar close, laying his head atop hers when it rested on his chest.

"I'll take what I can get." He said cheekily.

Closing their eyes, the two TURKS fell into a deep, healing and the most peaceful sleep they could ever remember.


	13. Just Desserts

**A/N:** OK, I apologize for three things in this chapter; Firstly, for being so short; secondly for the... odd? Happenings herein (hey, it's FF, weird things always happen in FF, Cloud came back from the dead didn't he?!... Well sort of! Anyway, it's not that weird or strange if you think about it, considering some of the things that really happened in FF), and thirdly, again, for lack of detail and rush-iness lol. Anyway, that said, hope you like this chapter, only two more left guys! Woo hoo!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

"You've done well Tilar, just like I knew you would."

Tilar blinked, a little startled to find she was back in the white dimension again. Her heart gave a little start as she looked around.

"Am I- Am I dead again??" She asked, trying not to panic. The same voice from so long ago laughed lightly, instantly calming her.

"No. You're not dead. I came to talk to you. I hope you see now just how much you mean to everyone. You're a valuable asset to many of the people around you, and without you, many of them would be lost."

Something in Tilar's peripheral vision caught her eye and she turned to look at it. A ways above her, Tilar could see the silhouette of the same woman she'd seen the first time. The woman seemed to be sitting on some invisible, high ledge with her legs dangling over the edge. She wasn't to far away but somehow, Tilar knew she'd never be able to reach the woman. So she simply remained still. Suddenly a thought came to her, something someone had said when she'd fist awoken.

"Are you Aerith?" She asked gently.

A smile shone through the shadow.

"Good guess. " She said happily. "But I'd appreciate it if you kept this little meeting between the two of us, some wounds are meant to stay closed."

Tilar nodded.

"About what you said; I know you're right now and I regret that it took me having... having to die and be blind to realize it, but I'm glad that I finally did -- however it happened."

Arieth smiled and nodded.

"Good. That's what we wanted to hear."

Aerith smiled again.

"Everyone is proud of you Tilar." She said kindly. "And all your friends and loved ones all value you, no matter what. Now all you have to do is value yourself."

Aerith stood up and seemed to walk towards Tilar until she was a standing a few feet from her. Tilar could finally see the woman now and she was beautiful.

"Things change.... People change. And sometimes people get second chances. You've been given your second chance Tilar, and you did really well. If you remain as patient as you've been the last few months, you'll soon get your reward."

Tilar smiled to herself as a certain image appeared in her minds eye.

"I have my reward." She said fondly. "Reno."

Aerith released her soft, melodious laugh and gave Tilar a warm smile, placing her hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"Keep thinking like that and the rest of your life will be just as rewarding."

Tilar nodded and returned the brunette's warms smile.

"Thank you... for everything. the second chance and all... I really appreciate it."

Aerith laughed again and tilted her head to one side as her hands folded behind her back.

"I didn't do that. But you're welcome for the rest anyway."

Tilar felt a little confused but said nothing. Instead, Areith spoke again.

"It's time for you to go now."

"Will I see you again?" Tilar questioned a little hopefully. The brunette shook her head but a warm smile adorned her face.

"I don't think so. You don't need me anymore. It was nice to meet you Tilar Handler, I hope things work out for you now."

Tilar again returned the smile and nodded, feeling herself loosing her consciousness. Just before she faded away, Aerith's voice rang in her ears one last time.

"Oh, by the way; some guy named Mitch wanted to tell you thank you, he's finally found his peace. Goodbye Tilar."

A warm wave of nirvana washed over the woman as her body finally faded out of consciousness.

* * *

Tilar awoke and blinked furiously.

"What a weird dream..." She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her head. She smiled as she remembered the images and the woman whom, she still considered, no matter what, saved her life.

"No, it wasn't a dream." She whispered with a tender smile. "Thank you Aerith... And thank you Mitch, I'm happy for you."

Tilar rolled over in the arms wrapped securely around her and starred into the beautiful face of their owner. She smiled, unable to remember there being a more peaceful looking expression on her beloved redhead's face.

"You're beautiful my love..." She whispered softly, reaching out to gently brush Reno's hair from his face.

Tilar's hand froze on the redhead's cheek and her eyes widened in shock.

"I can see!"

Tilar bolted upright and starred down at her sleeping lover in utter shock. How was it possible?! She wasn't supposed to ever be able to see again! How could this be?! Suddenly the female TURK remembered her dream.

Aerith.

A warm sensation washed over Tilar as she closed her eyes again. Thanking the brunette once more for lack of knowledge of whom she really owed it to.

Having been shaken awake from the sudden movement, Reno's eyes blinked open before he let out a mighty big yawn and a stretch. The redhead looked up at his bed-mate and noted that she was the reason he'd been awakened. He smiled at her, even though she couldn't see him, and sat up to lean into her face.

"Morning beautiful." He said, his voice a little husky from being awakened before he was supposed to.

Reno leaned in to kiss the woman but paused when he noted the blank look on her face. With a frown, he leaned back slightly and furrowed his brows.

"Ty?" He questioned in confusion.

Tilar hesitantly reached out a hand and caressed Reno's face. A lopsided smile appeared on Reno's face as he starred at the woman before him, her fingers tracing delicate lines across his jaw, down his neck and eventually his chest. Her fingers stopped somewhere in the middle and placed a firm hand there as she starred blankly as if she was actually seeing him.

Reno shook his head with a small smile and reached down to remove the hand from his chest, placing a gentle kiss to the fingers before intertwining his own with hers.

"You OK?" He asked softly, reaching his free had up to brush her hair from her face.

Tilar swallowed hard before her gaze finally lifted up to meet his.

"I-... I can see you.." She whispered, barely audible.

An amused smile crossed Reno's lips.

"And? What's the problem?"

Tilar's eyebrows raised ever so slightly in a suggestive manner and Reno continued to stare at her in amusement. Suddenly something clicked in his head and the smile was quickly wiped away as his eyes widened considerably.

Reno suddenly jumped up onto his knees and held up a hand.

"How many fingers am I holding up?!" He exclaimed loudly.

A smile finally formed on Tilar's lips as a soft laugh escaped them.

"Three."

Reno's shocked expression intensified. He shook his head, then pointed to the clock beside the bed.

"What time is it?!"

This time it was Tilar's turn to be amused as she turned to look at the alarm clock. Looking back at the redhead, she had to bite back another laugh.

"Eight-thirty."

Reno's mouth dropped open and Tilar couldn't contain her laugh any longer.

"You look like an owl!" She teased playfully.

Reno blinked at Tilar for a few moments before finally laughing aloud and grabbing the woman, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.

Tilar laughed heartedly as she struggled to get free of the grip.

"Being a TURK never looked so good!!" Reno teased cheekily.

Tilar finally squeezed out of Reno's grasp and gave him a real hug.

"Reno that was so lame!" She said through her laughter. Reno laughed too and pressed a kiss to Tilar's lips. She returned the kiss with a smile, unable to remember ever being so happy in her entire life.

* * *

"You can't put cheese in a meat and vegetable stew!!"

Reno gave Tilar a pout, his had hovering over the huge pot of stew about to tip the cheese sauce into the container.

"Why not? You can put cheese in anything?"

Tilar laughed again and reached over to take the bottle from the redhead's grip.

"Reno that's disgusting." She said bluntly, putting the bottle on the counter.

Reno opened his mouth to protest again but the loud shrill of the phone interrupted him. Tilar put down the soup ladle she'd been using and walked from the kitchen into the living room. Reno waited patiently, straining in vain to try and hear what was being said. Eventually Tilar returned with a serious look on her face. She reached past the redhead and turned off the stove, then sighed.

"Pack your things." She said seriously. "We've got a mission and it can't wait. We leave right away, The President says he'll brief us on the way."

With a longing look at the stew on the stove, Tilar sighed again and turned to walk away once more.

"Guess we'll have to grab something on the way." She said a little sullenly. "I'll call someone to come and clean everything up.. I don't know how long we'll be gone."

Reno frowned and released a sigh of his own as he watched Tilar go. He was currently in Tilar's apartment -- they'd decided to use both due to their ever changing and differing schedules, and also for the scatter times when they still angered each other and needed some time to cool off.

Reno hastily left the kitchen and left the apartment in direction of his own. He'd been enjoying the brief break from work and the alone time with Tilar; especially since she'd somehow -- miraculously -- regained her sight. But alas, the moment was short lived and now they were back to work again. Oh well, some things never change. Besides, there would be other moments.

* * *

"Rude seems to think he's somewhere in this city." Tilar said, looking at the small hand-held computer device she was holding.

Reno turned the wheel of the car then continued to drive straight. He glanced over at the woman beside him and noted the concentrated look on her face. This made him smile. Tilar always took her work so seriously; as did he; with the difference that the serious woman left little time or space for playfulness and fun.

"Got an estimation?"

Tilar nodded.

"The last place he was seen was in a rough tavern down town called 'Underworld'. That was about three hours ago."

Reno chewed the side of hos cheek thoughtfully.

"So that was about half an hour before we got here..."

Tilar nodded again.

"Right... with our luck, he just might not be here anymore."

Reno sighed.

"Yea well, for once; I hope you're wrong."

Tilar frowned.

"Me too."

The shiny black BMW turned down a dark alleyway and stopped in the cover of the shadows. Climbing out of the car, the two TURKS paused and looked around. The entire place reminded them of the slums and gave off the same eerie, creepy and dirty feeling. Shaking off their uneasiness, the two pulled their coats around them and walked out of the alley way.

In favor of appearing undercover, Reno and Tilar had opted to wear civilian clothes. Tilar was dressed in dark, denim jeans, high-heeled, black boots, a sleeveless white shirt and a black coat over top. Reno was wearing a similar attire with sneakers instead of boots, faded denims and a long-sleeved, crisp white shirt under his black jacket.

"Where do you wanna start?" Reno asked, his hands in his pockets as they looked around.

"Might as well start with the bar." She said thoughtfully.

The two turned right and headed off in direction of the bar. They had almost reached the building when the door opened and turned out a half-dozen or so extremely drunken looking men. Tilar and Reno stopped for a moment to observe them and the men, for the moment, seemed to be oblivious to them as they laughed and talked among themselves.

Finally, one of the men, glanced absently towards the two, then back to his buddies. He did a double take when he finally noticed the two TURKS and the mighty grin on his face quickly dropped. He reached out a hand and roughly tapped one of the other men in the group on the shoulder, eyes not leaving Reno and Tilar's. The man said something the TURKS couldn't hear and the rest of the group turned to the two.

Tilar and Reno exchanged looks, then reached up to remove their sunglasses, which had been necessary while driving in light of the setting sun. Upon the removal of their glasses, a grim look crossed the men's faces. The first man who'd spotted them said something, and before anyone could blink, the group turned as one and bolted away from the TURKS.

The two TURKS exchanged a look before jumping forward and bolting after the men.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Tilar yelled to Reno as the ran their hardest.

"I dunno!" Reno yelled back, frowning as he found it hard to believe they were having so much trouble keeping up with a bunch of drunks. The redhead poured on more speed, which was mimicked by his partner, and spoke again.

"But I'm gonna find out!"

Looking over their shoulder, the group realized they weren't going to out-run the agents and knew they had to do something. Tilar cursed loudly as the men all split up, running in different directions. Now faced with a decision, the TURKS made up their minds and chose to chase the man who'd first spotted them and one random other.

Eventually the persuers finally caught up with the men they were chasing and lunged forward, knocking both men to the ground with sickening cracks and curses.

Quick as lightning Tilar had a gun to her target's head and Reno hastily followed.

"Where is he?!" Tilar said firmly, cocking the gun in her hand.

"I don't know!" The man spat. Tilar cuffed him in the side of the head with the handle of her gun and replaced it again.

"Where is he damn it!" She repeated.

"I don't know!!" The man spat louder, blood trickling from his mouth and nose now. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Bullshit!" Reno yelled from beside the two. "You knew who we were as soon as you saw us! You wouldn't have ran if you weren't guilty! How did you recognize us?!"

"It's the bloody eyes!!" Screamed the man under Reno, who had been the man who'd first spotted them. "First I just thought you looked important and dangerous, but when you took off the glasses I saw 'em! Those damned mako eyes we were told about! You're them Shinra bastards!!"

Reno growled and cuffed the man hard with his gun, making the man's vision swim.

"Where is he?!" The redhead growled, impressing Tilar greatly. She'd rarely ever seen the redhead like this but it always meant he meant buisness and was taking matters seriously.

"He got out of town before you got here!!" The man choked through the blood in his mouth, his words slurring slightly due to a mix of alcohol and Reno's strike.

Tilar turned back to the man under her and growled as well.

"Where did he go?! Why did he threaten Shinra?! What's he panning?!"

"None a your God damned business!!" The man under Tilar snapped, spitting into the woman's face.

Tilar wiped the offense from her face and gave him a death-glare. With a savage snarl, she punched the man hard square in the face and knocked him out cold.

Reno turned back to the man beneath him, but his momentary pause at having watched Tilar was all the thug needed.

The man shot his partner with a gun in his hand and popped something into his mouth.

Reno jumped back in disgust as the thug immediately started to shake violently and foam at the mouth. In seconds he was dead and so were any leads the TURKS might have gotten from the two.

"Damn it!!" Tilar yelled savagely, standing up and kicking one of the bodies angrily.

Reno simply sighed in frustration and stood as well, dusting himself off before looking down at the bodies.

"Well, back to square one." He said with a frown. "What do you wanna do now?"

Tilar clenched her teeth and growled again.

"I don't know, but we're not going back empty-handed! We'll find him and we'll find him before we leave!!"

Raising an eyebrow, the redhead followed his angry partner out of the alley and down the street.

* * *

Reno frowned as he sat on the bed of the hotel room and watched his partner. She'd been pouring over the case files for hours and hadn't yet relaxed. The only break the woman had taken was to stop and take a quick shower, then she was right back at the files again. Even Reno's teasing and gallant effort to entice the woman into his shower with him had failed.

With a heavy sigh, Reno rolled over on the bed and starred at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. He knew Tilar was good at, and for the most part liked, her job, but he also knew it was stressful for her as well and wasn't healthy. Not once since she'd joined the team had she had a break that lasted more then almost a day -- she'd never even taken a full day off. Somehow, he had to get her to relax.

The two all but jumped when both their phones started ringing at the same time. They both grabbed the phones and answered them, speaking a unified 'Hello' to the people on the other end.

As it turned out, there weren't two different people on the cell phones, it was one person; Rufus; whom had made a joint call to the two.

"I want you two to come back. If he's left town, then it's likely you're only wasting your time there."

Reno opened his mouth to speak but Tilar beat him to it.

"Please sir!" She said firmly. "I think I can find something else! Just give us a little more time!"

Rufus appeared thoughtful at this and again Reno frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but again he was cut off.

"Alright, if you think you can find something more then you can stay another day or so. If you don't find anything by then then I want you both to come straight back."

"Yes sir."

The call was disconnected and Reno reluctantly hung up the phone. For a third time, the redhead opened his mouth to speak but was, yet again, cut off.

"I need some air." Tilar said emotionlessly. "I'll be back in a bit."

Reno's frown deepened worse then ever. He knew Tilar wasn't going out for air, she was going out to search for a new lead; but he also knew that she wanted to prove to herself more then anyone else that she was every bit the agent she claimed to be -- and she wanted to do it alone.

With a heavy, frustrated sigh, Reno plopped back down on the bed and starred up at the ceiling with a deep expression.

"Yea, fine." He mumbled moodily. "Just be careful."

And with that said, the door opened and closed again with a soft slick, leaving Reno to brood over his thoughts alone.

* * *

Tilar clenched her teeth and stood up from the ground, stuffing her hands in her coat pocket to protect against the dropping temperature.

She'd been searching for hours and still hadn't come up with anything. She'd even gone back to the thugs they'd chased to search them but still came up empty handed. With a harsh growl, she left the alleyway in direction of who-knows where, when suddenly her cell began to ring. Looking down at the caller ID, her hopes lifted ever so slightly as she recognized the number.

"Did you come up with anything?" Tilar asked the redhead, not bothering with a greeting.

"Yea. Come back to the hotel ASAP, it's important!"

Tilar disconnected the cell and her hopes lifted a little higher. Finally, a break! At last they were getting somewhere!


	14. Relax Tilar!

**A/N:** Second last one guys, hope you like it! Mostly just a little fluff about the two - and the conclusion of the case of course (a very short conclusion). Sorry the last line is a little... yea. lol.

**Warning:** Lemony Chapter! You have been warned! If you'd rather skip it, I've left a 'warning' here-in so you don't have to read that part. Other then that, enjoy! :3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

Tilar's mouth dropped open as she stepped into the room. The floor was covered in rose petals, the room smelled of a mixture of rose and lilac, and it was lit only by the soft glow of a few candles. Soft, quiet music was playing and immediately upon shutting the door, Tilar felt like she was in a surreal dream.

Her eyes finally trailed to the bed, and sitting at the foot of it was Reno with the warmest smile she'd ever seen him wear.

Tilar starred at the handsome redhead for a minute, and eventually, a small smile graced her own lips.

"Thought you said you needed me for something important?" She said teasingly. Reno's smile widened.

"I didn't say I needed you, I said it was important. And it is."

Tilar raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms with a smirk.

"Really? So what exactly do you call, important."

Reno smiled again and cocked his head to one side.

"Well, you were working yourself to death. So, I decided to take it upon myself to force you to relax."

Tilar smiled and shook her head. She uncrossed her arms and walked over to Reno. Standing between his legs, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down into his face.

"And how exactly do you intend to force me to relax?" She whispered. Reno smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"However I have to." He replied in a whisper of his own.

Tilar smiled again, then leaned down and pressed her lips to Reno's. Reno smiled into the kiss and pulled her tight.

After a few moments, Reno stood up, lips still locked with Tilar's. He switched positions with her, then gently sat her on the bed in his place. Reno pulled away and leaned down to Tilar's face.

"I'll be right back." He said softly.

Reno pulled away from Tilar and disappeared from view. A few moments later, he returned carrying a small silver tray. Tilar watched him as he walked over to the bed and placed the tray on the table next to it. He then sat up at the head of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Tilar smiled and crawled up to him. Reno returned smile, then leaned down and kissed her again, gently pushing her down this time until she was laying on the bed. He pulled away and turned to the side table.

Tilar starred at his back and waited patiently for him to turn around again. When he did, she smiled broadly. Reno handed her a small glass of bubbling pink champagne.

"Thank you." She said softly. Reno smiled.

"You're welcome." He replied. He clinked glasses with her, then they both took a sip.

Reno replaced his glass on the table then picked up something else. When he turned back to Tilar, she saw that he was holding a plump, juicy strawberry coated in melted chocolate.

"A little birdy told me you liked strawberries." He said with a grin. Tilar smirked.

"Really? I wonder what little birdy that was."

She said through a small laugh as the image of a certain young boy appeared in her minds eye.

Reno laughed a little and Tilar opened her mouth. He smiled and placed the strawberry in her mouth and she bit into it, eyes never leaving his. Reno took the other half of the strawberry and ate it. When Tilar had swallowed the fruit, she smiled.

"I don't know about relaxing, but this is nice."

Reno grinned.

"I'm not done yet." He said mischievously.

He leaned over the side of the bed and pulled something from under it. When he picked it up, Tilar saw it was a box. He handed it to her.

"Put this on."

Tilar opened the box and raised an eyebrow as she starred at it's contents. She then looked up at Reno.

"You're joking right?"

Reno laughed a little.

"No. Just trust me... please."

Tilar narrowed her eyes and gave Reno a suspicious look. After a minute, she sighed and looked back down at the box.

"Alright, I trust you Reno."

Tilar got up and walked to the bathroom. She closed the door and placed the box on the counter. Reaching inside, she pulled out a lacy, red, strapless bra and underwear, then a thin, silky red robe that barely reached her mid-thigh.

Tilar sighed and shook her head, then got undressed and slipped on the red underwear. She held the bra and robe up and wondered if the robe was going to cover her, why did she need the bra? Deciding she didn't, Tilar replaced the red bra back inside the box and put the rest of her clothes and things in with it. She then looked in the mirror and sighed. She had to admit, she was a little nervous as to what Reno was planning. She bit her lip, then took a deep breath before turning to open the door.

Tilar walked back out to the bed and stood at the foot of it, shifting nervously. Reno smiled when he saw her, not a lustful smile, but the same one he'd worn when she'd arrived.

Again Reno patted the bed beside him, and again Tilar crawled up beside him and laid down.

"Roll over on your stomach." Reno said softly.

Tilar looked at him strangely, making him smile.

"Trust me."

Tilar nibbled her cheek for a moment, then rolled over.

"Now get comfy." Reno instructed.

Tilar did as she was told and waited. Reno slipped the robe from her shoulders and slid it down so they were exposed. She felt her face heat up but said nothing as she waited. She waited for a few seconds but nothing happened. She was just about to speak when she felt Reno's soft, warm hands on her back. He was rubbing something slick and slippery into her skin and it was creating a warm, tingling sensation.

Reno slipped his fingers around the robe and gently moved it until it was just above her backside. Tilar's cheeks burned when she remembered the bra. Now she wished she'd put it on.

Reno smiled slightly as he rubbed the massaging oil into Tilar's back and shoulders.

"Chose not to wear the bra I see." He teased playfully.

"I didn't think there was much point if I was wearing the robe..." Tilar mumbled, trying to hide the deep flush on her face. Reno smiled.

"There wasn't really, I just thought it would make you feel a little more comfortable."

"Too late now." Tilar replied. Reno smiled again, then leaned down and pressed a feathery kiss to her shoulder, causing the woman to shiver with delight from the sensual feeling.

"It doesn't really matter." He said gently. "Comfortable?"

"Um-hm."

"Good."

Reno started at Tilar's neck and shoulders, massaging gently and deeply. He worked his way around her shoulder blades, then slowly made his way down her back. Reno could feel Tilar's body relaxing under his touch, but it took a while to work out all the knots and kinks from her sore and overworked muscles. Reno leaned down again and this time kissed Tilar's neck as his hands worked.

"You're really tense, Ty." He said gently. "You really needed this, I don't think your body could've taken much more."

A tiny moan escaped Tilar's lips as Reno worked out another knot, that mixed with the sensation of Reno's delicate kisses was enough to send her nerves into over-drive.

"I'm always like this..." She replied, unable to decided which feeling to give in to - the peaceful fatigue Reno was causing, or the sensations his lips and hands were stirring up.

Reno smiled and leaned down to her ear.

"Well I'm going to fix you." He whispered softly.

Tilar smiled, then turned her head and planted a quick kiss on Reno's lips. Reno smiled and went back to work.

After a long time, Tilar had finally relaxed and Reno had nearly put her to sleep. When he eventually heard her breathing change, he knew she had drifted off.

Reno took his hands away and stood up, then gently pulled the robe back up until it wrapped around her breasts. He then rolled her back over, picked her up, pulled back the sheets and placed her back down. Reno pulled the sheets over Tilar, then leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. He pulled away and turned around, but before he could walk away, Tilar took his hand.

"Why are you leaving?" She asked sleepily, eyes still closed.

Reno turned back to face her. He sat next to her on the bed, then lifted her hand and gently pressed it to his lips.

"I thought you were asleep." He said softly. "I wanted to leave you alone to rest."

Tilar's eyelids slowly opened until they were fully up. She blinked a few times, then spoke softly.

"Sleep with me ...please."

Reno starred at her for a minute, then leaned down and placed another kiss to her lips.

"Of course." He said gently. He released Tilar's hand and stood up, then walked over to the other side of the bed and crawled in next to Tilar.

Tilar rolled over and wrapped her arms around Reno, then laid her head on his chest before closing her eyes.

Reno wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Sweet dreams baby girl..." He whispered like it was a big secret.

Tilar smiled and turned her head to face Reno. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"You too love." She replied in content. Then she replaced her head on Reno's chest.

Reno's arms tightened around Tilar and he sighed in content as he followed her into a peaceful sleep.

Reno awoke hours later to nearly pitch darkness. The candles had all burned out and the only light came from the moonlight flooding in from the window. Reno stretched and turned towards Tilar with a smile. Only Tilar wasn't there.

"Ty?" He questioned aloud, but there was no answer. Reno sat up and looked around.

"Ty?" He questioned louder.

This time he spotted her. Reno tilted his head to one side as he watched Tilar curiously. She was sitting back-on to him by the window, starring out through it silently. After observing her for a while, Reno got up from the bed and walked over to her, slipping his arms around her waist and leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Watcha doin?" He asked softly.

"Just thinking." Tilar replied absently. Reno smiled.

"Uh-oh. That's never good." He teased lightly.

Tilar's lips didn't so much as twitch. Reno frowned and moved to sit by her. He took one of her hands in his and pressed it to his lips.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"Nothing." Tilar replied absently again. Reno starred at her for a moment, then reached out and cupped her chin, turning it gently towards him. When he could see her face, Reno's frown deepened.

"Ty, what's wrong?" He asked in concern, noting the sadness and deep frown on her face. "Please tell me, and don't say it's nothing."

Tilar looked back out the window and was silent for a long time. Eventually she answered him.

"On my first mission with Elana, she told me to watch out for you because you were a player."

Reno chewed his cheek for a moment.

"Tilar, I-"

"I didn't know what that meant then so I had to ask her to explain it to me." Tilar continued, cutting Reno off. "I know that you and I have been together for a while and that you've only been with me since then, but there have been other girls right?"

Reno paused for a moment, then nodded, even though Tilar couldn't see.

"Yes." He replied quietly. Tilar continued again.

"I also know that you've... well... slept with most of them too. Right?"

Tilar turned to look at him now and starred into his eyes.

Reno cringed and closed his eyes, unable to return Tilar's gaze. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Yes." He whispered shamefully.

Tilar looked back out the window again.

"I always thought..." Tilar paused a moment and Reno daringly opened his eyes and looked at her curiously. Eventually she continued again.

"I always thought that you only did that when you really loved someone... I was taught that to... make love... with someone was the one way you really showed someone how much you loved them.."

Reno raised an eyebrow. This girl really did live a pretty sheltered life didn't she? Well, when it came to certain things.

"Ty..." Reno said softly. "I feel like scum for saying this, but... not everyone thinks like that... You're right, that's how it should be, but... it's just not."

Tilar nodded, her face emotionless.

"I know that Reno. I've gathered that much on my own."

There was no sarcasm, annoyance or bitterness to her voice, simply acknowledgement.

Reno starred at Tilar for a long time, then finally picked up her hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Ty, what is it you want to know? Why are you saying and asking me this stuff?"

Tilar slipped her hand from Reno's and let out a faint sigh.

"All those girls you slept with-"

"They meant nothing." Reno assured her. Tilar's frown deepened and Reno desperately got the feeling he'd said the wrong thing.

"You say they meant nothing..." Tilar whispered, taking a long pause before speaking again. "But yet, you slept with them anyway... and.."

Tilar stopped and simply starred out the window.

Reno starred at Tilar in utter confusion. What was she getting at? Was she trying to make him feel guilty for his past, for his reputation? If so, she'd done a damn good job of it, cause he felt guilty as hell.

Reno sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Ty... I'm not proud of the things I've done or of all the women I've... played...but you said it yourself, I've been with you a while now, longer than I've ever been with someone before, and I haven't so much as looked at another woman since. You're the only one who matters to me now and I swear, you have nothing to worry about."

Instead of smiling, Tilar's frown deepened further. Reno frowned too and took both Tilar's hands this time.

"Tilar, I don't understand! What do you want from me? What is it you want to hear? Help me out here, I can't read your damned mind!"

Reno was getting frustrated and he knew he sounded harsh. He also knew Tilar didn't need any of this, but he couldn't help it. She was just so damn cryptic! Did she actually expect him to read her mind and know what she wanted, know what she was thinking? He just couldn't do that.

Tilar bit her cheek and pulled away from Reno, turning her body then completely away from him.

"Never mind Reno. I don't know what I want anymore."

Reno felt his heart stop. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't like the way that sounded.

Reno stood up then and walked around until he was standing in front of the window. He gently turned Tilar around to face him and took both her hands in his, pressing them once more to his lips.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, I shouldn't have done that and you don't deserve it. Just... please, tell me what it is you want to hear."

Tilar hung her head. Reno knelt before her to try and see her face but her hair shadowed it.

"Please Tilar..." He whispered softly.

Tilar was quiet for another long time but eventually she spoke again.

"Reno, all those girls... you.. made love.. with all those girls - and I still think there's always something special about it no matter what - and you say you love me, that they didn't mean anything to you, but I.."

Again Tilar stopped mid-sentence.

Reno furrowed his brows as he starred up at her. What exactly was it she was trying to say? He didn't understand! Why was it so hard for her so say what she meant? Why couldn't she just tell him what she wanted?

Reno sighed in frustration. He opened his mouth to snap at her again when suddenly realization struck him.

All those girls.

Tilar's thoughts and opinions on intercourse. Finally, it all made sense to him and he immediately felt stupid for not seeing it earlier.

Reno looked up into Tilar's face, then reached up and brushed her hair from her face so he could see her. He was shocked to see tears in her eyes. Reno felt his heart sink.

"Tilar..." He whispered, standing up and lifting her face up to look at him. "I'm sorry, I think I understand now."

Tilar averted her gaze from him and Reno spoke again.

"You want to know why I haven't asked you to... uh.. make love..." Reno paused for a moment. Those two words sounded so alien and awkward to him. But he continued nonetheless. "With me yet right?"

Tilar's face flushed but she nodded slightly. Reno smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I didn't want to push you Ty... I didn't want to force you into something you weren't ready for. Things... relationships, get ruined because of that, and I didn't want to loose you. I didn't care about that with any of those other girls because none of them meant anything to me. But you, if I lost you..."

Reno's voice trailed off and he lifted Tilar's face again.

"I meant what I said the day you..." Reno's voice trailed off again, unable to say what he was going to. Instead, he began somewhere else. "You told me that when I said that, you were allowed to come back. Well, I think someone up there must have known it was true, otherwise you wouldn't be here would you?"

Reno pulled Tilar up into his arms and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek affectionately.

"I really do love you Tilar." He whispered softly, still a little intimidated by the words. "And I can honestly say that not a single other person has ever heard me say those words... not even my own mother."

Tilar pulled away from the redhead and looked into his face. Reno's eyes were shining with genuine emotion and she knew just by looking at him that it was true.

Swallowing hard, Tilar melted into Reno's arms and starred up at him with a serious expression.

"Show me Reno." She whispered softly. "Show me how much you love me."

Reno reached a hand up to caress Tilar's cheek as he returned her serious look.

"Are you sure..?" He questioned gently, doing his best to restrain himself against the look Tilar was giving him, the things she was suggesting, and her beautiful body pressed to his. "I want you to be really sure about this Tilar."

Tilar nodded and leaned up to press a tender kiss to Reno's lips.

"I'm sure." She whispered against him. "I want to know what it's like..."

Reno finally tipped over the edge as Tilar pressed her entire being into him, surrendering herself to him fully. A heavy, heated sigh escaped the redhead as Tilar melted into him. He returned her kiss passionately and leaned down to pick the woman up, wrapping her legs around him before turning and heading back to the bed.

* * *

...:::: Lemony Goodness! :3 ::::...

* * *

Reno's knees touched the bed and he lifted one onto it while he gently lowered Tilar onto the mattress. Their lips remained locked as Reno climbed onto the bed with her and carefully positioned himself over her. His tongue ran along Tilar's bottom lip before giving it a gentle nibble, coaxing the very first tiny moan from the woman. Reno's insides flared with the beautiful sound. The promise of Tilar's damn-near-perfect, untouched body was enough to drive him mad. But he knew this process was going to be long and difficult and it was going to be a very long time before his needs were met; this had to be taken very slowly and had to be done right; Reno would make sure it would be.

Her mouth opening to him, Reno's tongue slipped inside and caressed Tilar's sensuously. Tilar's tongue danced with Reno's for a while until eventually the redhead retracted a little and gently sucked on her tongue. Another tiny moan escaped the woman and Reno gave her lower lip another gentle nibble before withdrawing completely.

The expert mouth gently kissed, suckled and nibbled it's way across Tilar's cheek, down to her jaw, across her chin and eventually a little ways down her neck. With practiced ease, said mouth quickly found the sweet, sensitive soft spot on the exposed flesh and gently suckled and nibbled.

Tilar bit her lip but soon found it impossible to bite back the feeling and released a deep-bellied moan. How was it possible that such a simple gesture was creating such a strong feeling?

Willing arms wrapped tightly around the redhead and Reno smiled against the tender flesh. Soon he relinquished his spot and kissed down Tilar's neck and across her throat. His hands reached down and caressed her sides as he continued to work at her neck. The experienced lips trailed down Tilar's throat and moved further down her shoulders and chest, doing his best to ignore the tantalizing sounds emitting from the woman's lips.

"God this is going to kill me..." Reno thought painfully. However he was going to restrain himself he didn't know, but it sure as hell wasn't going to be easy.

Reno's pale, slim fingers trailed up Tilar's body until they reached the top of her wrap. He carefully undid it and slipped it away from her as his lips kissed and suckled at the hot flesh as it became exposed.

Tilar flushed furiously as Reno exposed her body but the redhead merely smiled against her flesh as he gave her a warm look.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about." He whispered a little huskily. "You're beautiful Tilar."

Tilar bit her lip, the blush on her cheeks beginning to fade to a heated flush as Reno's expert hands slid up and down the length of her body, coming to rest on her breasts while his lips worked their way around her chest.

Tilar gasped as Reno's soft lips attached themselves to a rosy nipple. She bit her lip as he gently suckled them, his hands massaging them both as he worked. The redhead's tongue flicked across the nipple he was working on and applied a little more pressure when a shiver ran through Tilar's body. He smiled again against her flesh as a moan finally escaped her when Reno pulled back slightly and gently blew on the teased nipple.

Switching his attentions to the other breast, Reno continued his ministrations until Tilar was writhing and moaning beneath him. He then moved his body downwards and began to kiss his way down Tilar's body, hands caressing and exploring as they went.

Between her breasts he kissed, kissing around and under them before moving down again. He pressed lingering, tender kisses to Tilar's stomach as his hands trailed up and down her sides.

Finally Reno reached the top of Tilar's panties. His fingers trailed down her body and delicately traced the creases above her thighs as his tongue dipped below the garment, earning a deep, anticipated moan from Tilar. Taking this as permission, Reno's fingers slipped around the garment and slowly slipped them down over Tilar's thighs and off her legs, now leaving her completely naked.

Leaving no time for the woman to feel embarrassed and assuring her the emotion was unnecessary, Reno gently parted Tilar's legs and immediately moved to lay between them. He placed her legs over his shoulders and proceeded to press tender kisses along the inner part or Tilar's thighs as his hands continued to caress them slowly, setting every inch they touched on fire.

Tilar was now withing and moaning constantly and again Reno had to force back his own instincts to continue what he was doing. He'd barely started yet and already the woman was squirming. This thought made Reno smile; he was going to enjoy this just as much as she did.

Reno slowly tantalized Tilar's nerves all around her lower half, taking great care to avoid the intimate area in the center - for the time being. His kisses and touches set Tilar's skin aflame and it wasn't until he heard her utter his name in a breathless moan that Reno knew he'd toyed with her long enough.

Finally, Reno turned his attention to Tilar's folds. He softly caressed the layers and gently worked his way inwards until he'd successfully parted them, revealing their hidden treasures. Leaning in, Reno pressed his lips to the sensitive area and began to kiss and suck gently. Tilar gasped at the new feeling and soon her moans grew heavier. Reno's tongue slipped past his lips and licked at the hyper-sensitive folds forcefully.

After much stimulation, Reno momentarily pulled back and quickly slipped two fingers into his mouth. Coating them, he removed the digits and his tongue went back to Tilar's folds while his fingers moved to Tilar's entrance. He caressed and stroked the area for a moment before gently slipping a single finger inside. Tilar gasped again and Reno made his ministrations more forceful as his finger stroked the hot walls inside her. The redhead had to resist a shiver of anticipation as he felt the tightness of Tilar's walls against his finger while he worked.

Before long, Reno inserted a second finger and curled them ever so slightly to hit the right spot. Ignoring the woman as best he could, Reno finally decided to allow her what she was craving. His tongue trailed upwards to the tiny nub at that top of her folds. There he licked and suckled while his fingers moved and stroked. He continued this until Tilar's breaths were coming out in strangled sobs, her hips moving on his fingers and gyrating against his lips.

Reno could feel his own length becoming increasingly hard to ignore and the familiar feeling building low inside him was steadily intensifying painfully. Still, there was still a long way to go and he knew that his patience would pay off eventually.

The expert mouth pressed hard against Tilar as the sucking and strokes became more fierce. Her entire body was on fire and tremors continuously vibrated through her. Reno could feel the tremors and he knew the woman was rapidly reaching her peak. Soon; it wouldn't be long now.

Before his thoughts could wander any farther, Reno felt Tilar's walls contract against his fingers and swiftly switched positions. His fingers withdrew and moved to the fleshy nub among the folds while his mouth went to Tilar's entrance, tongue dipping inside. He wasn't sure what kind of woman Tilar was but he intended to learn and pick up on every tiny detail.

Finally Tilar let out a long, drawn-out scream and grabbed Reno's shoulders, squeezing them tightly, her back arched and consequently pushed herself deeper to Reno. Reno was giddy with delight as he felt, then tasted, Tilars quick release. She was one of few women who actually released her fluid! The redhead's tongue delved deep and licked willingly, lapping up everything Tilar gave him.

When Tilar's body had finally relaxed and her tremors had stopped, she laid back on the bed and panted. Reno pulled back and smiled up at her, kissing her thighs and caressing her legs again as he waited for her to come back down from her high.

Before long, Tilar's half-lidded gaze moved down to Reno and beckoned him to her. With a knowing smile, the redhead moved up the length of her body and pressed his lips to hers. Tilar devoured Reno's lips hungrily and moaned as he parted her lips with his tongue and sucked on hers sensually.

Suddenly Tilar pulled away from Reno and starred at him. Reno furrowed his brows in concern.

"What's wrong bebe?"

Tilar looked down the length of Reno's bare chest and gave a suggestive glance to Reno's pants, bulging and straining against his own need. Her eyes then went back up to Reno and he gave her another small smile, moving down then to kiss her again.

"Don't worry about me." He whispered huskily. Tilar turned away from him.

"But that's not fair to you." She said softly.

"It's alright, Ty." Reno replied softly. "Tonight's about you."

Reno moved in to kiss her again but again she turned away from him.

"Reno.." She said wearily. Reno starred into her face. She was obviously trying to hide it but her eyes gave her away; she was curious.

Resisting a small chuckle, Reno slowly pulled back from the woman and hovered over her, waiting to see what she would do.

Against everything he'd expected, Tilar kissed him. He wasn't sure what she was planning but decided to let her have her way, opting to simply guide her when and where she needed it.

Tilar gently pushed Reno up and away from her, putting him into a sitting position. She then ran her hands along Reno's chest, brushing his nipples every now and then on a pass. Soon, they were taut and hard and Tilar's soft fingers moved to them, gently massaging and pinching experimentally. A small groan rumbled in Reno's throat and Tilar smiled against his lips. She pulled away from him and trailed kisses along his cheek and moved to his ear to give it a gentle nibble. Tilar felt a shiver of delight as a small moan escaped the redhead's lips. She moved then to Reno's neck and mimicked the things he'd done to her, causing him to tilt his head to the side to allow her better access. So he liked that did he?

Soon another moan escaped Reno's lips, one a little louder and throatier then the last and Tilar smiled again as she applied a little more pressure, adding a few nibbles every so often for effect.

Suddenly Reno emitted a deep-bellied groan and reached out to place his hands on Tilar's hips, unconsciously rubbing and caressing them during his obviously rising passion. Tilar resisted a small laugh and moved from her spot to another, but she suddenly let out a small gasp at seeing what she'd done.

Reno let out a small laugh, his eyes still closed through his mounting ecstasy.

"You left a mark didn't you?" He asked, sounding more amused then angry. Tilar swallowed and Reno smiled, knowing somehow what she was feeling.

"It's alright Tilar." He said softly, his voice sounding a little strained. "It'll go away."

As if to show her his indifference, Reno tilted his head further to the side, a silent request for her to continue her ministrations.

Tilar smiled again and re-attached her lips to the tender flesh, quickly bring Reno to another height.

Soon, Tilar's kisses moved from Reno's neck to his throat, and from there across his shoulders and down his chest, not really taking the time to apply herself as Reno had done for her. Not that Reno obviously minded, if the rapidly growing bulge in his pants were any indication.

Tilar's lips attached to Reno's nipples and gently suckled, earning her another deep-bellied moan. She applied her attention there for a while, then moved back up to Reno's lips. She kissed him deeply and smiled to feel the kiss greedily returned.

Having the redhead pre-occupied, Tilar's hand slid down Reno's milky body and cupped the front of his pants. She slowly unfastened the belt-buckle, then the button and un-zipped the zipper.

Reno's loud sob-like gasp broke the kiss as Tilar's hand slipped inside his pants and slipped around his member, giving it a gentle squeeze. Tilar smiled again, utterly delighted about the effect her simple gestures were having upon the gorgeous man. She hastily reattached her lips to Reno's and his hands gripped her hips tightly, again absently massaging them as his passion rapidly rose.

Tilar found it increasingly hard to ignore Reno's expert hands but quickly found a way to retaliate. Her fingers slipped around Reno's pants and boxers and she broke the kiss again as she pulled away from Reno and slipped both garments off of him. Turning her gaze finally on Reno's member, she starred unblinkingly at it, biting down on the side of her lip as she starred. She wasn't sure what was considered 'big' but she was sure that compared to her inexperience, it looked rather large to her. She was also sure that it would never fit inside her.

Watching Tilar carefully, Reno finally reached out and placed a finger under Tilar's chin, encouraging her to look up at him.

"You don't have to, Ty." He said softly, leaning in to give her lips a chaste kiss. "I told you it was alright."

Tilar pressed her lips to Reno's and both her hands reached down do his member, earning her another deep moan. When she pulled away, she laid down between Reno's legs and leaned down to kiss the tip of the head.

"I want to." She said firmly.

Reno swallowed hard and closed his eyes, tilting his head back as Tilar's lips wrapped around the head of his member while her tongue began to swirl around the velvet tip tantalizingly. He leaned back on one hand and placed the other on her back, gently rubbing it while she continued her ministrations.

Tilar's tongue dipped into the tiny puckering hole at the top of the head, causing a throaty moan to escape Reno's lips. She then pulled back slightly and moved downward, licking up and down the shaft. The hand on her back absently applied a little pressure as she continued, licking all around the shaft before moving back up to the head again. Her lips wrapped tightly around the head and her tongue flattened out. Slowly, she took in Reno's length, unsure if she could fit it all but willing to try.

Tilar's mouth covered Reno little by little, and at first she gagged, but after Reno's gentle instructions to take her time, she slowly managed to take most of it in. Finally she managed to reach the root and pulled back to do it again.

Reno groaned as his fingers buried themselves in Tilar's hair. Again and again she pulled back and took him in to the root, moving faster and faster with each stroke.

Soon Tilar pulled back and wrapped her lips around the head again. She watched carefully as Reno's fingers appeared before her and pulled back a little to watch their movements. Silently he showed her how to pump and she nodded, wrapping her hand around the shaft like he had.

When she'd gotten the hang of that, Reno gathered his voice and reached his a hand down again, gently rubbing a spot just under the head.

"Lick here." He said huskily.

Tilar smiled and nodded, leaning in again to tongue the under-side of Reno's shaft while her hand pumped.

Noting her unoccupied hand, Tilar moved it downward and cupped Reno's sac, experimentally giving it a little squeeze. Reno let out a loud cry and his body spasmed.

Tilar pulled back in alarm and looked up at Reno in concern.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

Reno shook his head, his face contorted and chest heaving.

"No..." He choked with great effort. "Keep going."

Tilar moved back to what she was doing, gently moving the tiny orbs inside the sac around and squeezing gently every now and then.

Reno felt the pressure in his lower regions building and his fists clenched the sheets of the bed tightly as the blackness behind his eyelids began to show blotches of color. Finally, after enduring a teasing nibble at the sensitive flesh being devoured, Reno reached up and grabbed one of Tilar's shoulders, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Tilar stop!" He choked desperately, not really meaning the words he'd spoken.

Remembering what Reno had done when their positions had been switched, Tilar tongued the under-side of his member forcefully, and gently squeezed it while she pumped, her other hand she placed on his chest and encouraged him backwards.

Reno obeyed her and laid back on the bed, throwing his arms over his face as the tension inside him throbbed, ready to explode. Only moments later a hot wave washed over Reno and he cried out loudly, stars popping inside his squeezed shut eye-lids. His body trembled violently as his orgasm washed over him, rendering all other senses useless until it passed.

Tilar was a little surprised by the rapid release and some of the hot, sticky liquid escaped her, but she quickly adapted and began sucking at the member again to encourage it to spill everything it had to offer.

When Reno's release had finished, Tilar swallowed the rest and licked up everything she'd missed. She then pulled away from Reno and moved up the length of him to straddle his hips and stare down at him.

Reno opened his eyes to see Tilar licking her lips, then lifting her fingers to lick them clean as well. The tension inside him flared again at seeing this and he starred up at her through half-lidded eyes, still panting as he finally came down from his own high.

Noticing him staring at her, Tilar smiled at Reno and leaned down to kiss him. Reno returned the kiss hungrily and placed a few fleeting kisses to her cheek, neck and shoulder when he pulled away, the last causing her to shiver lightly.

"You're going to be a handful." He mumbled against her skin. Tilar laughed lightly and Reno smiled.

Reno leaned up to kiss Tilar again. He sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around her, leaning forward and laying her back against the head of the bed again. He positioned himself on top of her, making sure his weight was half on the bed so as not to hurt or overwhelm her, and then moved his fingers down to between her legs again. He slipped a finger inside once more, then slipped in a second, scissoring the opening while he stroked until she was wet, writhing and moaning again. Deeming her ready, Reno broke the kiss and starred down at Tilar.

"Are you sure about this Ty?" He asked carefully again. Tilar nodded.

"It's going to hurt at first." He warned.

"I trust you." She whispered.

Feeling his heart skip a beat, Reno smiled and moved down to kiss her again.

Reno placed his hands on Tilar's hips and positioned himself at her entrance. Her arms slipped around his neck. He slowly pushed in, but in his own desperate heat, he pushed in too much and Tilar broke the kiss to let out a pained cry, squeezing his shoulders as her eyes squeezed shut painfully, a few tears lining her eyelashes.

"Shit!" Reno cursed in his head, his heart lurching at his own stupidity and the thought of hurting her.

"I'm sorry Ty!" He said guiltily, leaning down to cover her face in feathery kisses.

"I'm OK.." Tilar whispered, her voice still sounding a little pained. "I knew it would hurt..."

Reno frowned and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. He kissed her until he felt her grip loosen and her body relax, then carefully pushed in a little more. Again she tensed and again he waited for her to adjust. He continued until he'd buried his entire length inside her and waited again until she was ready.

Finally Reno felt Tilar's body relax and begin to heat up. Soon her hips were gyrating against him and he smiled. He pulled out a little, then thrust in again, causing Tilar to gasp and tighten her grip on him. Reno knew now though that it was no longer due to pain. Again he withdrew and thrust in again, continuing with small, slow thrusts until Tilar was moaning and panting constantly.

Eventually Tilar opened her eyes and looked up at Reno, silently pleading to him. He smiled and leaned down to press his lips to hers, pulling out while he did and thrusting in hard, burring himself fully inside. This caused Tilar to gasp heatedly as he hit a certain spot, making her cry out in passion. Reno pulled out most of the way and thrust in hard again, causing another cry to escape Tilar's lips. he continued this for a while and eventually the pressure returned to him and his own pants and moans mixed beautifully with Tilar's.

"Faster Reno, please!" Tilar begged, rotating her hips against him.

Reno obliged and his thrusts became harder and faster, causing Tilar to scream out in pleasure. Soon enough she caught on and wrapped her legs around Reno's hips, thrusting hers up to meet him to as he pushed into her.

Tilar felt a tight pressure below her stomach and knew what was coming. Blotches of color were appearing in her vision and looking at Reno's face, she knew he was close too.

Reno felt Tilar contract and gave a great, powerful thrust, causing Tilar to scream loudly as she threw her head back against the pillow, her back arching and impaling Reno deeper into her. Feeling her release around him, Reno finally allowed his own release and threw his head back as his cry melded with Tilar's.

When the stars had disappeared and their vision returned t normal, Reno pulled out of Tilar and rolled over next to her panting. He brushed Tilar's hair from her face before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tight to him, smothering her in kisses as she pressed her body close to his.

Reaching her lips, Reno kissed Tilar deeply, positively giddy with joy as Tilar hungrily returned his affection greedily.

When they finally pulled away, the effects of their high slowly ebbing away, Tilar wrapped herself around the redhead, causing him to pull her impossibly close to him as they caught their breath.

Finally Reno reached a hand down and lifted Tilar's chin to encourage her to look at him. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and proving him right, he knew she was going to be a handful. Still, never in all his life, after all the partners he'd had, had anyone ever satisfied him like Tilar just had. There was no doubt about it; if perfection was only a figment of the imagination, then he was damn lucky to have as close as it gets.

Reno pulled Tilar close to him and smothered her face in kisses. When he finally captured her lips, the woman returned the kiss hungrily. Both TURKS sighed in content and finally pulled away. Reno placed one last, feathery kiss to Tilar's forehead before pulling her as tight to him as possible and laying his cheek against the top of her head. Tilar smiled and wrapped her arms around Reno, snuggling close to him and pressing a tender kiss to his chest.

"So, do you believe me now?" Reno asked playfully. Tilar pulled out from under him and gave him a confused look.

"About what?" she questioned in confusion. Reno smiled.

"You told me to show you how much I loved you."

Tilar starred at the man for a few moments, then finally burst into laughter.

"Yes! I believe you!" She said with a laugh.

When she stopped laughing, she gave the redhead a tender smile.

"I love you too Reno.." She whispered, barely audible.

Reno's heart soared and he felt like a kid in a candy shop. Aside from affectionate kisses and such, Tilar had never shown him more affection then necessary. He knew this confession had taken her a long time to be able to say, and he knew just how lucky he was to receive them from her. With those few simple words, Tilar had made the man invincible.

With a wide smile, Reno leaned down and pressed a grateful kiss to Tilar's lips, receiving just as much ferocity in return. Reno held Tilar tight to him while he kissed her like she was the most valuable treasure in the world - and she was all his, making him the envy of the rest of the world.

* * *

Tilar yawned and stretched before finally rolling over. She fumbled around a bit until her hands finally landed on her cell phone on the bedside table. With another yawn, she answered it and placed it to her ear.

"Hello?" She said sleepily.

"Well, sound's like someones had a long night." Rufus' voice snickered through the speakers.

Tilar felt her face flush, but before she could say anything, Reno's voice interrupted her.

"Who's that?" He asked, his chin on her shoulder while he nibbled her free ear. Rufus chuckled and Tilar's face heated even more.

"That answers that question." He teased, making Tilar about to die of embarrassment.

"Did you want something sir?" She asked the man, attempting to change the subject. Rufus chuckled again before speaking.

"Yes. Elena and Tseng caught the target last night so you can both come home... when ever you're ready."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

Tilar disconnected her call and put it back on the end table, too embarrassed to feel angry at having had wasted her time for nothing.

"What did he say?" Reno asked, knowing it had been Rufus due to the formalities. His arms slipped around Tilar's waist as he began nibbling her ear again.

"He said... He said um..." Tilar resisted a shiver while she tried to ignore Reno's advances. "He said they... they caught him..."

A small moan escaped Tilar's lips as Reno's mouth moved from her ear down to her neck.

"We can go back... whenever..."

Reno smiled as he coaxed another moan from his lover. He then rolled her over and pressed his lips against hers as hovered over her. His hands beginning to roam, he pulled back and smiled at her before continuing.

"Sounds good. Since there's no rush, I say we make good use of all the money we spent on this room."

Tilar didn't have time to argue or protest - not that she would have anyway - before Reno's lips covered hers once again in a passionate kiss, his hands roaming all over as they had the previous night. Reno made her weak, he always had. But it was at that very moment that Tilar realized that weakeness wasn't always a bad thing.


	15. Into The Future

**A/N: **The end! Finally!! Que the balloons and confetti falling from the roof!! Thank-you, thank you, one and all.  
lol, OK moving on. Here's the end YAAAAYY!! Sorry is the ending is a little cliche and the last few lines terribly such, I'm terrible at that kinda thing. In any case, I think I've managed to sum everything up and tie up all loose ends so I hope everyone is happy :) Hope you guys like this one and I'm looking forward to seeing you back again during my next fic! Ciao darlings! ^_^

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.

* * *

"Hey Ty... Ty, wake up.. c'mon bebe, wake up."

Tilar groaned softly and rolled over, blinking up at her human alarm clock groggily.

"What time is is?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Six-thirty am." Reno replied.

Tilar groaned and sat up in bed, stretching hard before finally sighing and looking at the redhead. Noting he was fully dressed in his uniform, she gave him a questioning look.

"Why are you dressed?" She questioned, suspecting she knew the answer but hoping she was wrong.

"We've got another mission." Reno said with a wide, knowing smile.

Tilar groaned and turned, allowing herself to fall face-first into her huge, fluffy pillow.

"I just got back from a mission." She complained for the first time in her life, her voice muffled from the pillow.

Reno smiled and rubbed her back affectionately.

"I know bebe, but this one's really important."

Reno leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Tilar's head, then gave her blanketed backside a playful tap before standing up from the massive bed.

"Come on, get up. We gotta get going."

Reno chuckled lightly as Tilar sighed heavily and finally got up. She'd never complained about anything as long as he'd known her, but lately things had been taking a toll on all of them. There were missions upon missions and the TURKS were at the ends of their rope trying to take them all. Things had began to calm down a little eventually and the TURKS had a small time to relax, but there was still little time for rest. Poor Elena and Tilar were the ones kept busiest because most missions lately had played the cards for their skills and talents the best.

With a small, sympathetic look back at Tilar, Reno finally left the room to let the woman get dressed and ready.

* * *

After a quick shower, Tilar tiredly dried her hair and threw her things together. She still loved her job as much as she did the day she'd first started, but she couldn't help but think of the fact that she'd never once had a break or taken time off in all the years she'd been a member of the TURKS. With a heavy sigh, Tilar finally closed her suitcase and decided it might just be time to ask for one.

"Ready?" Reno asked, popping his head in the door.

Tilar nodded and followed the redhead out the door and out of the building.

Once on the small, private plane destined to take them to their destination, Tilar settled in and decided to voice her thoughts to Reno. The redhead smiled warmly at her and leaned over to give her lips a chaste kiss.

"I promise, after this mission, we'll take a nice, long, holiday together. OK?"

Tilar returned the smile and nodded.

As the plane began to take off, Tilar remembered something and turned back to Reno.

"What kind of mission is this anyway?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." Reno replied cryptically. Tilar frowned.

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because I can't."

"Well I'd like to know what I'm up against before I'm actually thrust into the center of it all!"

Reno looked at Tilar with another knowing smile, knowing that she was tired and irritable and had every right to know what she was up against. Still, he couldn't tell her just yet.

"It's highly important." He told the woman honestly. "I'll tell you everything when we land and I know we're in a secure place. Deal?"

Considering this for a moment, Tilar finally nodded and sat back in her chair. Her eyes soon began to droop and Reno smiled again.

"Why don't you lie down and sleep for a while? It's a really long flight."

"Yea, I think I might." Tilar replied, suppressing a big yawn.

Reno took Tilar's feet in his lap and removed her shoes, gently massaging her feet as she drifted off into a peaceful, contented sleep.

* * *

As soon as the plane landed, Reno lead Tilar off and into a taxi. The vehicle took them to a very large, fancy looking hotel. All the while Tilar remained silent and it wasn't until they'd secured a room and closed the door that her words burst from her like released hounds ready to hunt.

"Tell me about the mission!" She blurted at Reno. "We're in a secure place now."

Reno laughed lightly and laid his suitcase on the huge bed.

"We have to appear as a very rich couple. The hotel and everything we deal with and do is all part of the show. Like this for example."

The redhead walked across the room and opened a door, which lead to a massive walk-in closet, which was jam-packed full of beautiful clothes of all kinds; fancy, casual, formal, and much more. The massive hotel room itself was littered with beautiful things and things that looked like it might indeed belong to a very rich couple, such as; beautiful jewelery, footwear of all kinds, accessories, and much more. Of course, there was much there for Reno as well as Tilar.

Tilar couldn't believe her eyes.

"Where did all of this come from?" She asked in awe.

Reno shrugged casually.

"A lot of money and effort went into this mission and making it believable, and the hotels and surrounding areas and businesses benefited greatly from it all. All this stuff is their way of thanking us -- adds to the effect too luckily."

Tilar's jaw hug open slackly.

"This.... is all for us."

Reno nodded, not appearing overtly interested in the things at all. He glanced at his watch then walked over to the bed and pulled a file from his suitcase. Sitting on the bed, he patted the spot beside him and waited until Tilar had sat down to show her the picture in her hands.

"This man's name is Demetrio Cardenez."

"Is this the man we're after?" Tilar asked curiously. Reno nodded.

"Yea, but he's not our target, he's a contact. You have to find him and receive a package from him."

Tilar nodded in comprehension and Reno continued.

"He'll be at a party being held here tomorrow night in honor of our arrival -- aside from our contacts, the hotel and the employees, they all think we're some rich and famous couple from across the sea somewhere. You'll find this man there. Got it?"

"Got it." Tilar replied.

Reno glanced at his watch again, then stood up and removed his suitcase from the bed.

"We should get some sleep, the party starts just a little after noon tomorrow."

Tilar got up and got dressed for bed. Together the two TURKS crawled into bed and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Tilar sighed as she looked herself over in the bathroom mirror. Reno had told her to dress really nice because the party was a formal one. She was wearing a long, silver dress that hugged her form perfectly and looked beautiful with her skin-tone and hair. The dress tied around the neck and on her feet were a pair of elegant, strapy silver heels. Diamond drops hung from her earlobes and a beautiful diamond necklace hung around her neck. Her face and hair were fixed as if done by a professionalist.

"I look ridiculous..." Tilar mumbled to herself. "Like always in these silly clothes..."

_"I feel like a child playing dress-up in her mother's fancy clothes."_ She thought in her head.

A soft knock at the door interrupted Tilar's ponderings and Reno's voice soon followed.

"I've gotta go meet up with another contact, so I'll meet you back her later tonight to compare notes. If anyone asks you where your husband is, tell them he's gone to take care of a business matter that popped up and won't be back until later."

"Alright." Tilar called through the door. "I'll see you later then."

With that said, Reno's foot prints faded away from the door and soon disappeared.

Tilar looked back at the mirror again and scanned her image once more. It wasn't the first time she'd had to act a part like this, or one similar. She'd done it a few times with Elena, and also a few times with Tseng. She'd even done it a handful of times with Rude, but she'd never gone in on one of these types of missions with Reno, and she'd definitely never gone in alone. She sighed as she fixed the skirt of her dress, her fingers brushing the small gun strapped to her thigh. By now she knew how to act proper and act the part, but she still wasn't comfortable and she still didn't like it. But what choice did she have?

Scowling at the small, silver clutch on the counter, containing another very small gun, her cell, key card, and a few other small, electronic devices, she grabbed the offending object and exited the room. She loathed clutches and purses, but a rich, elegant, young woman; the wife of a successful business man; wouldn't be seen at an event like this with anything but.

Giving the room one last look-over, Tilar exited through the door and headed down to the ballroom.

Upon entry into the ballroom, Tilar immediately felt out of place. She felt like a rabbit in a den of wolves and deeply resented the rest of the TURKS for making her go into this alone. But, she had a job to do. So, lifting her chin, Tilar walked into the room, appearing to float across the floor as she walked, smiling at the people who addressed her and giving light, cheery responses when need be. The air she carried with her told people that this woman was indeed the wife of a business man and that she too meant business. It was obvious she had an agenda and unless you were the one she was looking for, she had little interest in starting a conversation with you. Realizing that, most guests either simply smiled at the beautiful woman or gave her a simple greeting, which, of course, she kindly returned.

Feeling her cheeks beginning to ache from the amount of unaccustomed smiling, Tilar found herself desperately hoping she would find the contact very soon. As if on cue, the man in question appeared from behind a large pillar, surrounded by a multitude of people as he walked. When they finally stopped somewhere around the back of the room, he proceeded to laugh and talk with the people around them. A genuine smile broke through Tilar's fake one as she gracefully made her way towards the man she'd been looking for.

"Excuse me, ? I wonder if I could have a word with you?"

Cardenez turned towards Tilar and gave her a charming smile.

"Please, call me Demetrio, Ms..?"

"Reavis, _Mrs_. Reavis."

"Ah! The lovely Mrs. Reavis! It is an honour! No one told me you were so beautiful my dear."

Cardenez took Tilar's hand and lifted it to press a delicate kiss to her fingers, noting the rather large diamond sparking on one of them with a smile.

"I see your husband treats you well." He said playfully, his words rolling off his tongue along with his thick accent.

Tilar gave him a small smile and tilted her head graciously.

"Very well , I assure you."

A few small laughs were heard from around the group and a woman's voice spoke up among them.

"Shame on you Demetrio, flirting with married women."

"Yes, shame." A man said with a chuckle, not sounding like he meant it at all. "Apparently your charm doesn't work with this one. Perhaps I should show you how it's done?"

Cardenez gave a small laugh as he looked around at the people surrounding him, while Tilar resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the snobby people. Accents of all kinds had always fascinated her, but these people were most certainly not her 'crowd'.

"Ladies, gentlemen, please." He said through a smile. "Surely you wouldn't accuse me of such things?"

Growing tired and irritable of the conversation now, Tilar took a deep breath and forced another smile.

"Mr. Cardenez, a word. Please?"

Cardenez turned back to Tilar and gave her another small smile.

"Yes, of course my dear, I do apologize for the delay."

Finally excusing himself from the group, Cardenez lead Tilar to a secluded spot somewhere off the main crowd. Looking around subtly and assuring himself no one was watching, he carefully reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small, neatly-wrapped, square package. Handing it to Tilar, he leaned in close to whisper to her to assure that only she would hear.

"This package is of the utmost importance Mrs. _Reavis_, and I will be shot if it gets into the wrong hands."

Pulling back from her, Cardenez reached into his jacket a second time and this time pulled out a small, folded paper.

"This note also came with the package with strict instructions to open the note before the package, and only when you are completely alone. Do you understand?"

Tilar nodded solemnly.

"I understand." She said seriously.

"Then my work is done." Cardenez replied. "Farewell Mrs. Reavis, and good luck to you."

With a small bow from Cardenez and a return gesture from Tilar, the man turned and walked back to his group.

Tilar eyed the small package, then opened her clutch and carefully placed it inside, holding the note tight as she turned and left the ballroom.

Once outside and on a balcony, Tilar looked around to insure she was alone, then opened and read the note.

_If you want to be successful in your mission you will do exactly as I say. Meet me down at the __**Burdoux **__on the beach at sunset. __Do not __contact your partner, come alone or there will be dire consequences. Go to the table with the red lamp, there will be only one. __Do not __be late. I am a busy man and have better things to do then risking my life for unappreciative agents._

Tilar scanned down through the note and her eyes slid across a small PS at the bottom of the paper.

_PS: Do not open the package until you meet me. I want to make sure it's safe with you ruffians and doesn't get into the wrong hands._

The urge to resist rolling her eyes was very great as Tilar crumpled the note and reached into her clutch to remove a small, silver lighter. Setting fire to the paper, she made sure it was burnt completely before dropping it to the ground and snuffing out the still burning ashes. Looking up at the sky, she noted it was almost sunset and decided to head down to the beach.

It didn't take Tilar long to spot the table with the red lamp and Tilar immediately headed over to it. The spot was fairly secluded, and except for a few scatter small groups here and there a ways away, she was alone. Tilar crossed her legs and poised her clutch in her lap while she looked around, patiently awaiting her contact's arrival.

The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful shade of red-orange, but still there was no sign of her contact. Tilar heaved a heavy sigh of frustration as her manicured fingers drummed the table now impatiently. Her impatience ebbed away slightly when her cell phone suddenly began to ring. Extracting it from her clutch, Tilar frowned at the number displayed on the screen.

"Hello darling, where are you?"

A small chuckle was heard from the other end as Reno's voice filtered through the speaker.

"I called to ask you the same question, _darling_."

Tilar again resisted rolling her eyes one more time. It wasn't fair that she had to keep up the act while Reno was free to be himself. Still, she had to be safe, and safe included making sure she followed her contact's wishes.

"I'm sorry darling, but I'm waiting for someone, I'll have to meet you later."

There was a long pause and Tilar knew Reno had caught onto her hint. When he spoke again his voice was serious.

"You're outside aren't you?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Hmm.. scan the area."

"Alright."

Tilar removed another small device from her clutch and pressed a little red button atop it. She had it in her palm and waited until it beeped once before putting it back in her purse. She looked around again to assure herself no one was around, then sighed in relief.

"That was starting to get so old." She grumbled in annoyance. "Where are you Reno?"

"Heading back from my meeting. Where are you?"

Tilar looked around one more time before answering.

"I'm sitting at one of the tables down on the beach at a place called Burdoux. Don't come though, he told me he wants me here alone when he gets here."

"Don't worry about it." Reno replied dismissively. "I know this guy, he won't mind me being there. I'll see ya in a bit."

Tilar's eyes widened.

"Reno!" She hissed through the speaker. "Reno!!"

But there was no answer. Tilar closed the phone with a growl and placed it back in her clutch.

"Damn you if you blow another mission on us!!" She hissed under her breath.

Tilar was scanning the area worriedly when suddenly someone plopped down in the seat beside her.

"So, let's see it."

Tilar turned to the redhead and gave him a small glare.

"Reno, get out of here!" She hissed in annoyance. "You're not suppose to be here!"

Reno waved a hand, again dismissively.

"Seriously, you worry too much. Lets see the package."

Tilar sighed in defeat and opened the clutch, extracting the package and placing the small item in Reno's open palm. The redhead starred at it blankly.

"Wow." He said simply. "Kinda small for something so important aint it?"

"Yea." Tilar said softly.

Reno handed it back to her.

"Open it."

Tilar's eyes bugged.

"What?! Are you insane?! You're gonna blow this whole mission on us Reno! Get out of here!"

Unfazed, Reno gestured towards the package again.

"Naw, I'm not. Open it. You can always re-wrap it before he gets here."

Tilar's eyes narrowed as she proceeded to argue with the redhead. After a long time however, she finally sighed again in defeat.

"Alright, fine!! But you'll be explaining to the President if the mission fails!"

Reno smiled.

"I'm sure he'll understand."

Tilar slowly opened the package. Once the paper was off, she could see that it was a small box. Furrowing her brows, she opened the box and starred down at the contents in confusion.

"Let's see." Reno said, peering over the top of the box.

"Wow. That one's a lot nicer then the one on your hand. Pick it up."

Tilar reached into the box and plucked the ring from the cushion like Reno had instructed. A bewildered look crossed her face when a string attached to it came out too. On the string was a tiny piece of paper. Tilar reached out with her free hand and picked up the paper to read the words on the small tag.

_"Will you marry me?"_

Tilar's face slowly lifted up to look at the redhead, a look of utter confusion written all over her face.

"So?" Reno said with a smile.

After a long silence and the realization that Tilar had no idea what was going on, Reno took the ring from her hand and ripped off the string. Getting off his chair and down onto one knee, he lifted Tilar's hand, removed the ring already there, and slipped the one in his hand on her delicate finger. Lifting her hand to his lips to place a feathery kiss there, Reno starred up into Tilar's face and gave her a warm smile.

"Tilar Handler," He said softly. "will you marry me?"

Finally snapping out of her reverie, Tilar shook her head and starred at the redhead.

"I... don't understand..." She said uncertainly.

Reno sighed in frustration.

"Just answer and I'll explain later."

Tilar blinked at Reno for a moment until something finally clicked in her head and a huge smile split her face. Before Reno could react, he was on his back in the sand with Tilar on top of him, her lips pressed firmly to his.

Reno laughed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her.

"I guess that's a yes." He mumbled against her lips. Tilar smiled and kissed him fiercely. When she finally pulled away she gave him a wide smile.

"I can't wait to marry you!" She said happily. Reno grinned wide and kissed her again.

When the two finally pulled away again, Tilar got off of Reno and sat up, her legs curled around her in the sand.

"Now, tell me just what the hell happened here!'

Reno laughed and sat up with her.

"OK, where do I start?

I went to Rufus last week and told him what I wanted to do. He thought it was a good idea and agreed to help... the rest of the TURKS helped too. Rufus put together the whole mission part of it, including the contacts and whatever, and the TURKS put together most everything else."

"What about all the stuff?" Tilar asked in confusion. Reno laughed.

"What I said about that was pretty much true, that stuff is their thanks to us for all the money we put into this and for using their hotel and whatever."

Tilar blinked in confusion.

"So all of this then... all of it, it was all just for show? No mission at all?"

Reno grinned.

"Nope. Just for fun. So, what'd ya think?"

Tilar blinked for a moment, then finally laughed.

"It's ingenious!" She said through a smile, leaning over to kiss the red head again.

* * *

Tilar smiled as she looked around at all the faces around her. Standing on the beautiful, decorated, beach of the hotel, she couldn't remember ever being so happy in her life. The two TURKS had decided to get married at the place Reno had taken her on his faux 'mission' and their fellow TURKS had set everything up. Now they were standing on the beach after the ceremonies and reception was over, which had been laid out for a sort of dance area, and were mingling with their guests. Looking around at all the many faces, each one of which Tilar knew by name, Tilar could almost feel herself glowing with the joy of it.

Turning to her left, Tilar smiled wider when twenty year old TJ approached his sister with a wide grin, his girlfriend on his arm and also smiling happily.

"So, looks like I got a brother." The handsome young man teased. Tilar smiled and Reno laughed.

"Welcome to the family." TJ said playfully, making them all laugh. Reno grinned and reached out to shake TJ's outstretched hand.

"Thanks kiddo." Reno teased. Tilar looked over at TJ's girlfriend then and gave her a warm smile.

"You keep an eye on him while I'm gone Marlene." She teased playfully. The brunette girl laughed and gave a small nod.

"I will." She promised, stepping forward to give Tilar a big hug.

When the two women pulled away, TJ leaned over and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"Congrats sis." He said gently, giving her a warm smile.

"Thanks, T." She replied, returning the smile.

The young couple moved away and Tilar smiled when she noticed her employer walking towards her and Reno.

A wide smile lit Rufus' face as he stopped in front of Tilar and Reno, his hands in his pockets.

"I expect the both of you in my office in exactly three weeks." He teased playfully. Tilar and Reno both grinned at him.

"Promise." They said in unison.

Rufus laughed and shook Reno's hand then leaned in to give Tilar a small hug.

"Congratulations." He said cheerfully, receiving a grateful thanks from the couple.

Moving back into the crowd, Rufus disappeared and the couple were approached by another small group. They smiled as Cloud approached with Tifa on his arm from one direction, and Tseng, Elena and Rude approached from another direction.

"Congratulations you two." Tifa spoke first with a wide smile. Cloud nodded.

"Congrats." He added.

Hugs and handshakes were issued to the two as Tilar and Reno thanked them as well. Elena spoke up then with a wide, enthusiastic grin.

"About time!!" She exclaimed happily, hugging them both. She winked when she pulled away.

"Make good use of my bacholorette gift!" She said cheekily, making Tilar flush furiously and Reno laugh as they both remembered the lacy black and red lingerie.

Shaking his head with a smile, Tseng stepped up then and congratulated the two as well, followed closely by Rude. The small group chatted and mingled for a while until more guests came up to the new couple and the previous ones moved on. The couple greeted and thanked and talked with Yuffie, a few friends from office, other employees of sister companies and many more, until they soon became a little weary of it all. Politely excusing themselves from the crowd with promises to return later, Reno lead Tilar out onto the dace floor and wrapped her tightly in his arms as they swayed in time with the beautiful music.

"You're absolutely gorgeous." Reno said softly, reaching up to stroke Tilar's cheek affectionately. Tilar smiled warmly.

"I hope that's not the only reason you married me." She teased playfully. Reno smiled.

"Well, that and your, _many talents_, if you get my drift."

Tilar laughed as Reno waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"You're such a typical man!" She said playfully. Reno laughed and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Don't worry bebe, if it was just the sex, I'd have been better off staying single. If there's no such thing as perfection, then you're as close as it gets."

Tilar laughed and shook her head.

"Good answer." She replied through her smile. "As horribly corny as it was."

Reno grinned at her, then looked around at the guests and scenery. His gaze lingered on the horizon, the sun just recently having sunk below it, then looked back at Tilar.

"Didn't I tell you we'd take a long vacation together after this mission?"

Tilar smiled wide.

"I'll never doubt you again." She said playfully.

Reno smiled and leaned down to press a tender kiss to Tilar's lips. She sighed happily and pulled him close, savoring the romantic, albeit a little cliche, moment in her new husband's embrace.


End file.
